Will the Lingayat Vote Shift to JD(S), Congress?
While caste differences between Banajigas, Panchamasalis, and others are of importance, the infighting will last only till a non-Lingayat is selected.
As the BJP’s list of prospective CMs includes Brahmins – Pralhad Joshi and BL Santhosh – the Lingayat anger is expected to rage further. Lingayats, some of whom claim to be different from Hindus, consider Brahmins their caste rivals. Meanwhile, Vokkaligas, the second most prominent dominant community in Karnataka, are not trusted by them either. CT Ravi, a CM contender, is from this list.
Will Lingayats who had supported the Congress till the 1980s go back to the party? The community’s patronage was with Congress Chief Minister S Nijalingappa.
“While they had voted for the Congress, the community mostly identified with the Janata Parivar. If the BJP elects a non-Lingayat chief minister, at least half the party’s votes from the community will go towards JD(S) or Congress,” a…