BENGALURU: The passing of veteran legislator and community patriarch Shamanur Shivashankarappa at the age of 94 on Sunday evening, has not merely marked a personal loss for the Veerashaiva-Lingayat community, but has brought to a close a defining chapter in one of Karnataka’s most influential socio-political organisations.
With Shivashankarappa’s demise, the All India Veerashaiva-Lingayat Mahasabha has undergone a swift leadership transition.
Senior Congress leader and Karnataka Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre has taken over as the new national president, succeeding the longest-serving and most powerful head the Mahasabha has known.
Khandre’s elevation marks continuity. Having earlier served as the Mahasabha’s secretary general and senior vice-president, he is embedded in the organisation’s ideological framework, particularly in shaping community unity and the long-standing demand for separate religious recognition for Veerashaivas.
His late father and former minister Bheemanna Khandre was past president. Retired DGP Shankar Bidari will continue as the state president, ensuring organisational stability during the transition.
For decades, the Mahasabha under Shivashankarappa functioned as a decisive pressure group in state politics, influencing electoral narratives, policy debates and social mobilisation across party lines. Its taluk-level presence across Karnataka, and footprint in Maharashtra, Goa, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, has made it a formidable organisation in the southern states.
Khandre, MLA from Bhalki and a key figure in the Siddaramaiah cabinet, inherits not just a title but a political institution. He expressed gratitude for the trust placed in him and pledged to strengthen the Mahasabha’s role in education, social welfare and the assertion of religious identity. Leaders across party affiliations have welcomed his appointment, seeing in him the ability to manage internal differences.
With vice-presidents such as former MP and KLE Society patriarch Prabhakar Kore and MLA Veeranna Charantimath, the Mahasabha under Khandre is poised to remain a key player in state’s socio-political landscape.