BENGALURU: Going by its two lists of candidates, the Congress in Karnataka may not yet have understood the importance of caste combinations, and the Lingayats, say community leaders. The caste-wise breakup of candidates shows that Lingayats, who make up 17-20 per cent of the population, have got 37 seats, despite asking for more.
Veerashaiva Mahasabha secretary Renuka Prasanna said, “The community has asked for about 16 more seats in the third list, which is expected soon.’’ Of 100 seats after the first 124 constituencies were declared, Lingayats sought about 16 seats, but may end up with only four more, laments the Veerashaiva-Lingayat community.
Sources said the Congress was considering non-Lingayat candidates in Hosadurga, which has over 55,000 Lingayats, and in Kadur and Tarikere, which is home to 60,000-65,000 Lingayats. Although Harihar had a large Lingayat population, the party has opted for a non-Lingayat candidate, who may still pull it off as he is the sitting MLA.
Considering the large Lingayat population in Shikaripura, Shivamogga, Honnali, Byadagi and Ranebennur, community leaders question whether the Congress is doing the right thing by pegging its hope on non-Lingayats to deliver these seats.
In Tarikere, the party could have considered giving the ticket to the small Madivala community instead of a Kuruba, and won over the backward communities. The backwards were seeking one seat each in Belagavi and Vijayapura districts. After MC Managuli passed away, the Lingayats wanted another community leader to replace him.
Similarly, they are asking that the Chickpet ticket be given to Gangambike, a Lingayat, as the seat
has a large number of Lingayats, as also Krishnaraja in Mysuru. “Congress should consider winnability along with social justice while considering candidates,’’ Prasanna said.