BJP is counting on Prime Minister Modi’s appeal after BS Yeddyurappa announced his electoral retirement
Bangalore:
The BJP’s Karnataka unit has today planned a major show of strength during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Shivamogga and Belagavi. The Prime Minister’s program includes the launch of Shivamogga airport and a 10 km roadshow in Belagavi – part of a comprehensive outreach plan ahead of the state polls due later this year.
Why Belagavi is important
The Belagavi district of Kittur-Karnataka region has 18 assembly segments and has historically been a BJP stronghold. Its significance in the party’s polling plan has been exacerbated as the BJP seems to be lagging behind this time due to allegations of corruption and murmurs of rebellion from some MLAs who had moved from Janata Dal (secular) and Congress to the BJP .
After his stronghold of Bengaluru, it is Belagavi who can determine the poll results for the BJP. The region accounts for the largest population of Lingayats – an influential community that makes up 17 percent of Karnataka’s population.
In the 2018 elections, the BJP won 13 out of 18 seats in Belagavi. In the Kittur-Karnataka region, formerly known as Mumbai-Karnataka, the BJP won nearly 30 seats out of a total of 50 — nearly 30 percent of the BJP’s total of 104.
What’s different this time
The prime minister’s roadshow and frequent visits from top BJP leaders, including Home Minister Amit Shah, raise curiosity as to why the party has redoubled its focus on a region that is a BJP bastion anyway.
One major reason is a leadership vacuum. Former Prime Minister BS Yediyurappa, the tallest Lingayat leader in the state, recently announced his retirement from electoral politics. The BJP also faced setbacks after two key leaders, former minister Umesh Katti and deputy parliament speaker Anand Mamani, died last year. Before that, BJP’s Ramesh Jarkiholi was forced to resign as minister amid the 2021 sex-for-job scandal.
The BJP lost its chief Lingayat leader Suresh Angadi, a former Belagavi MP and Union Minister of Railways, in 2020 due to Covid. Sanjay Patil, head of the BJP’s Belagavi unit, admits there is a leadership gap. Speaking to NewsMadura, Mr Patil said that this time they rely heavily on central leaders as there is “no local Lingayat face”.
What is the BJP plan
With a Lingayat heavyweight missing, the BJP has reverted to its greatest strength: Prime Minister Modi’s appeal. Mr Patil says that despite the void, he was confident that the BJP will win 15 out of 18 seats in the district, improving the show from last time. The struggle within the Congress, between factions led by Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar, will also benefit the BJP, he said.
The central BJP leadership targets Kittur-Karnataka – Uttara Kannada, Belagavi, Dharwad, Vijayapura, Bagalkote, Gadag and Haveri districts – South Karnataka and Hyderabad Karnataka regions as it pushes to regain power in his southern stronghold.
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