Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa has ordered the creation of a new ‘Maratha Development Authority’ for which Rs 50 crore will be set aside.
This move could gain significance ahead of the bye-election to the Basavakalyan assembly constituency, where Marathas are said to form a good number of voters. The bypoll is yet to be announced.
In a note to Additional Chief Secretary (Backward Classes Welfare) Gangaram Baderiya, Yediyurappa stated the Maratha population in the state was significant enough to focus on their financial, social, educational and religious development.
He further ordered that Rs 50 crore be set aside for the Maratha Development Authority with the concurrence of the Finance department.
In a similar move, the government notified the creation of a Kadu Golla Development Board just ahead of the bye-election to the Sira constituency, which the BJP won.
The BJP has already hit the drawing board to plan its strategy to win Basavakalyan, a seat located in the Bidar district of the Kalyana Karnataka region. The constituency will have a bypoll due to the recent death of its legislator B Narayan Rao of the Congress.
The constituency is dominated by the Lingayat community to which Yediyurappa belongs. However, Rao was not a Lingayat; he belonged to the backward fishermen community who supported the demand of Lingayats to recreate 12th century social reformer Basavanna’s concept of Anubhava Mantapa.
There is talk that Yediyurappa’s son and BJP vice-president BY Vijayendra should contest the Basavakalyan bypoll. However, Yediyurappa has ruled out Vijayendra’s candidature.
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