The BJP high command is upset that the Karnataka leadership did not assess the damage that would be caused to the poll prospects of the party following the denial of tickets to top Lingayat leaders — former chief minister Jagadish Shettar and former deputy CM Laxman Savadi.
Reports to BJP high command tell Lingayat votes slipping out after Shettar saga
The party leadership in Delhi has reportedly got reports that the Lingayat vote bank may be seriously dented. “The ground reports post Savadi and Shettar exits are not very encouraging and the BJP high command is reportedly upset over the gross miscalculation, which may have led to the distrust among the Lingayats. The party is now working on damage control and heavily banking on former CM and community strongman BS Yediyurappa to regain some of the lost ground,” a source said.
Akhila Bharatha Veerashaiva Mahasabha secretary Renuka Prasanna told the media the Lingayat support for the BJP that eroded after BSY stepped down in ‘pain’ will reduce further after Shettar exited, again in pain.”
Senior leaders say the way the BJP dealt with Shettar is nothing but manipulation. There will be a backlash.
Though Yediyurappa had singlehandedly earned the trust and support of the Lingayats, which brought the BJP to power, the community, which often votes with an individual in picture, may not vote for the party as a block this time. The reason: BSY will neither become the CM nor get any significant role. The BJP may again discard him once the election is over.
Lingayats may go with Congress for MB Patil
Reports suggest the Lingayats may instead like to go with the Congress and put their weight behind MB Patil, a community leader who has strong chances of becoming the CM or at least the deputy CM if the party wins the mandate this time. The Lingayats always want someone at the top in power.
Patil had recently announced that he too is a CM aspirant along with KPCC president DK Shivakumar and CLP leader Siddaramaiah.
Sources said Shettar’s press conference in which he spoke about his humiliation by the BJP leadership has not gone down well with the Lingayats.
Even Shettar’s current opponent from the BJP for the Hubbali-Dharwad seat, Mahesh Tenginkai, is reluctant to fight the election.
Shettar's humiliation to cost BJP
Lingayats can never stomach the humiliation of any sort. Shettar literally wept before quitting the BJP. He did not want to leave the party and tried hard, knocking on all possible doors for a ticket. He waited till Sunday midnight. Next morning, he joined the Congress. He is a soft spoken, amiable man, but a strong decision-maker. And Lingayats are deeply hurt and upset at the way the BJP treated such a senior leader.
The Congress immediately gave shelter to and turned Shettar’s ‘insult’ into its election strategy and is building a narrative around ‘insult to Lingayats’ to appease the dominant community.
Santhosh's efforts to establish control on BJP Karnataka
The current turmoil in the BJP is because of the party’s powerful national general secretary (organisation). Shettar has blamed him for the BJP denying him a ticket for the May 10 election and thus forcing him to defect to the Congress.
So, who is Santosh, the man who avoids the media? Santhosh, 56, who hails from Udupi, comes from an RSS background and works behind the scenes. Speculatedly, he was responsible for BSY stepping down as the CM and Bommai replacing him. He is now putting his stamp on BJP in his home state with the conviction it will yield dividends. He is unperturbed by all the noise about cracks in the Lingayat vote bank.
But what needs to be noted is Santosh is a Brahmin and there is no love lost between the Lingayats and Brahmins.
