Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Monday resigned from the post, drawing curtains on the uncertainty that surrounded his future. Soon after, Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot accepted his resignation and asked him to continue as caretaker CM.
However, the days leading up to his resignation were not quiet. Prominent Lingayat leaders of the Congress and pontiffs threw their weight behind Yediyurappa. The Veerashaiva-Lingayat community is estimated to form about 16 per cent of the state’s population and is considered to be the BJP’s core support base. Yediyurappa belongs to this community.
Karnataka's politics has been dominated by a few communities and among them, Lingayats are said to be one of the more prominent ones.
Even a former Congress minister, Shivashankarappa, met Yediyurappa to thank him for the government’s decision to install 12th century social reformer Basavanna’s statue in Vidhana Soudha. Basavanna is considered as the founder of the Lingayat sect.
Another former Congress minister MB Patil also warned the BJP against removing Yediyurappa. “BJP may face the wrath of Lingayats if they ill treat tall leader BS Yediyurappa. BJP should value the contribution of Yediyurappa and treat him with dignity. This is my personal opinion, understanding that the proposed changes may be internal matters of the BJP,” Patil said.
Kudalasangama-based Panchamasali Mutt Seer Jagadguru Basava Jaya Mrityunjaya Swami demanded from the BJP to accord chief minister post to a leader from Lingayat community belonging to North Karnataka if B S Yediyurappa has to be replaced.
Replacing Yediyurappa, the BJP risks losing the support of Lingayats, the party’s largest vote bank. The party also hopes to win over the Vokkaligas, the other dominant community, to gain an edge over the JD(S) and Congress that are led by Vokkaligas H D Kumaraswamy and D K Shivakumar, respectively. Meanwhile, fresh demands are being made for a Dalit to be made the CM.
BJP's loss of the Lingayat vote bank could be Congress's gain. KPCC President D K Shivakumar said that several MLAs and workers belonging to the Lingayat community are ready to join the party. The BJP leaders feel that the people of the Lingayat community is their asset. The Congress too has a galaxy of leaders belonging to the Lingayat community, he said.
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