BENGALURU: Even as Congress leaders are holding back-to-back meetings to finalise the next chief minister, the Veerashaiva Lingayat community, which has 34 MLAs, has made a formal claim that a Lingayat should be made chief minister.
This claim comes after Vokkaliga pontiffs had on Sunday expressed their wish that a Vokkaliga should lead the state. Veerashaiva Mahasabha chief and MLA Shamanur Shivashankarappa told The New Indian Express in a special interview that a Veerashaiva Lingayat should be chief minister.
The Mahasabha sent a letter to AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge, former UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and other Congress leaders, stating that keeping the upcoming Lok Sabha polls in mind, the Congress should give an opportunity to a Veerashaiva Lingayat, but refrained from naming anyone. Mahasabha secretary Renuka Prasanna confirmed that a letter had been sent.
Veerashaiva Lingayats in the fray are campaign committee chief M B Patil, Mahasabha general secretary Eshwar Khandre, Davanagere South MLA Shamanur Shivashankarappa, Davangere North MLA SS Mallikarjun and others.
Lingayats account for 17-20 per cent of the state population and have rock-solid influence over a significant number of leaders because of their charitable works like Dasoha and other welfare measures by mutts. This community’s support will be critical for the Congress, which has just one seat in the Lok Sabha from Karnataka, namely Bangalore Rural. By contrast, there are nine Veerashaiva Lingayat MPs from the BJP.
Asked if he would like to be made the chief minister, Shamanur Shivashankarappa was candid. ‘’Yes, who would not like to be made chief minister,” he said. “I will make Karnataka corruption-free. I govern a large network of institutions and know how to run the system.’’