Himachal’s condition in Karnataka, Jagadish Shettar’s rebellion can cause loss to BJP,
Former Chief Minister of Karnataka Jagadish Shettar has been asked by the BJP not to contest the elections, while Shettar has said that he will contest the elections in any case. In a press conference on Tuesday (April 11) evening, Shettar said that the party high command had asked him not to contest the assembly elections at the last moment, but he would not agree and would convey his point to the party high command. Shettar has indicated rebellion and has said that whether he gets ticket or not, he will contest the election in any case.
Who is Jagdish Shettar?
Jagadish Shettar, considered close to Yediyurappa, is currently the BJP MLA from Hubli Dharwad Central seat. He has won the MLA election six times. He has also been the Chief Minister of the state from 2012 to 2013. In 2018, he got 75, 794 votes. Every time he has been winning with a margin of more than 25 thousand votes.
Born in 1955, Shettar has also played an active role in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. He has also been the Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly and a minister in several governments. He has also been the President of Karnataka BJP in 2005. In 2008, he has also been elected unopposed speaker of the assembly.
Resentment in the Lingayat community: Jagadish Shettar is considered the second tallest leader of the Lingayat community after former Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa. After removing Yediyurappa from the post of CM, the Lingayat community may be angry with the BJP for denying Shettar the ticket. This community has already expressed its displeasure against the BJP.
How powerful is the Lingayat community?
The vote percentage of Lingayats in the state is around 17 per cent. Their political importance can be understood from the fact that so far eight Chief Ministers have been from this community. The Lingayat community decides victory and defeat in about 110 seats in the state. It is counted among the forward castes of the state. Apart from Karnataka, the community also has a sizeable population in the neighboring states of Maharashtra, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
Congress’s bet, BJP’s loss: The Lingayat community has been demanding a separate religion for itself. Congress leader and former CM Siddaramaiah has also promised that if his government is formed, he will give separate religion status to Lingayats. In such a situation, the BJP may have to bear the brunt of the displeasure of the Lingayat community. Some of his supporting MLAs and other leaders may also be angry with the BJP due to Shettar’s rebellion.
Rebels defeat BJP in Himachal: In the Himachal Pradesh assembly elections held in February this year, BJP had to face a crushing defeat due to rebels. BJP rebels contested 21 out of 60 seats in the assembly. Out of these, BJP had to face defeat in 9 seats.
Didn’t agree even on PM’s request: Many BJP leaders rebelled after not getting tickets in Himachal Pradesh. Even at the behest of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President JP Nadda, the rebels did not agree and stood firm in the election field. The PM called rebel leader Kirpal Parmar and asked him not to contest the elections but he refused. Due to this BJP had to lose power. However, the hill state has a tradition of changing power every five years.
