Belagavi/Dharwad: In Belagavi’s Kshatriya Savaji Resort in Khasbag, Vishnu Subhash Latkan slows down from juggling between serving lunch and helping his teenage daughter on the money counter whereas they focus on the upcoming Karnataka meeting election.
“Now we have to see which manner the Marathas, Muslims and Lingayats vote. Final time it was the BJP, however this time there’s a robust combat. The worth rise has hit us all laborious,” Latkan mentioned whereas writing up a invoice for lunch.
“The BJP could have received many seats final time, however this time round there’s a three-way combat,” he added, referring to the Congress and the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES), a celebration batting for the merger of Belagavi with Maharashtra, raking up points like value rise and corruption to hunt votes forward of the elections, that are simply three days away.
Only a few kilometres throughout the Nationwide Freeway-4, famous playwright D.S. Chougale sits comfortably at his house, stuffed with footage of him receiving awards from a number of senior political leaders.
“It’s like an IPL (Indian Premier League) match that goes on until the final ball. It’s thrilling however the winner will likely be selected the final ball,” Chougale mentioned in regards to the elections.
He has had at the very least three visits from BJP staff looking for his help, however not one by anybody from the Congress, which he says will make the distinction on polling day. Though Chougale doesn’t assert his caste id, he reveals that he’s from the Panchamasali sub-sect of Lingayats.
Belagavi is the divisional headquarters of the Kittur-Karnataka (erstwhile Mumbai-Karnataka) area, the place the Lingayats are probably the most important influencers.
Though the neighborhood is seen to again the BJP, this time the Lingayats say they’ve a lot to deliberate upon earlier than casting their vote on 10 Could.
This consists of what many describe as brief shrift given to Lingayat strongman B.S. Yediyurappa, who was changed as CM in 2021. There may be additionally some resentment over the denial of tickets to 2 different senior leaders, former CM Jagadish Shettar and former deputy CM Laxman Savadi, each of whom have now joined the Congress.
‘A message for Lingayats’
The Lingayats are believed to represent round 17 per cent of the state’s whole inhabitants, and their help is essential for any social gathering.
“The BJP ideology opposes (Lingayatism founder) Basavanna’s philosophy,” mentioned Chougale. “However when Rahul Gandhi got here for Basava Jayanthi celebrations (on 23 April, 23 Kudala Sangama), it was a message to Lingayats.”
Sanganna Hirekoppa, a 45-year-old driver in Khade Bazaar, mentioned he remembered Rahul Gandhi getting “deekshe” — or initiation into the faith — in August 2022.
A Belagavi-based educationist, requesting anonymity, mentioned “(B.S.) Yediyurappa is the tallest Lingayat chief, however was requested to step down after which compelled to not contest the elections”.
“Jagadish Shettar and Laxman Savadi additionally left after being denied tickets. This will likely not have any bearing on the outcomes, however the affect of their leaving is there,” the educationist added.
Growth in a lot of those areas appears to be restricted to constructing roads, erecting statues, and placing up colourful streetlights which are concentrated within the metropolis centres. A lot of the roads off the highways are in a pitiable state and spit stains appear like graffiti on most partitions.
In Athani, about 118km from Belagavi metropolis, many citizens instructed ThePrint that they may select between individuals and never the events.
“Laxman Savadi has performed a number of improvement for these elements and it doesn’t matter which social gathering he contests from,” mentioned Anil Kumar Menasi, a 50-year-old medical store proprietor. “He has a robust following.”
Itnal Math, an individual who has intently been related to a neighborhood Lingayat matha, factors to the potential affect of a far deeper caste matrix.
“There may be appreciable anger amongst Lingayats in opposition to Ramesh Jarkiholi, who was instrumental in Savadi’s defeat in 2018 and arm-twisted the BJP to not give him a ticket from Athani this time,” he added.
One of many influential Jarkiholi brothers, Ramesh led the Congress-JD(S) defections to the BJP that ultimately toppled the H.D. Kumaraswamy-led authorities. He was believed to be sad with what he noticed as senior Congress chief D.Ok. Shivakumar’s “interference” in Belagavi’s inside politics.
Some native residents consider that, within the technique of consolidating management over the district, Ramesh specifically has gone after anybody he sees as a menace to his dominance, and plenty of of them occur to be Lingayats.
“Lingayat kattre Gol Gummata, bittre Bara Khamba (When Lingayat builds, will probably be Gol Gumbas, in the event that they go away, then nothing),” mentioned Itnal Math. This figuratively interprets to Lingayats could make or break a frontrunner.
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‘Democracy being murdered’
The temperature is north of 40 at Giriyal Village in Kittur, a stone’s throw away from the dashing automobiles on the NH-4 that connects Belagavi and Dharwad.
It’s laborious to open one’s eyes because the dry warmth and dirt are blinding. Round 30 individuals sit underneath the shade of a giant mango tree and several other extra arrive in batches, crammed in Power Cruisers, a long-chassis car that appears to be the popular selection for native journey.
Most of those that get off the automobiles rush to the three water dispensers positioned exterior a newly constructed house, which is now the residence of Vinay Kulkarni, the Congress candidate from Dharwad Rural.
Folks 3 times older than Kulkarni seek advice from him as “anna” (brother).
“Democracy is being murdered and now we have to put it aside,” Kulkarni mentioned to the individuals sitting underneath the mango tree as they erupt in cheers.
Kulkarni is the principle accused within the homicide of Yogeshgouda Goudar, a member of the district panchayat and BJP employee, on 15 June 2016. Kulkarni spent 9 months in jail however acquired a hero’s welcome when he was launched on bail in August 2021. Nonetheless, he has been denied entrance into his house district in keeping with bail situations set by the Supreme Courtroom.
Hero worship is widespread in politics however it’s not so evident as within the case of the northern districts of Karnataka, the place revenue inequalities are stark and landlords deal with their districts as ‘fiefdoms’.
Kulkarni can also be from the Panchamasali subsect of Lingayats, who maintain sway in at the very least 100 meeting constituencies. The Congress has accommodated a better variety of Lingayats than earlier than to get the neighborhood to again them, after dropping them on account of what’s perceived as former CM Veerendra Patil’s insult by former PM Rajiv Gandhi.
The Congress has fielded 91-year-old Shamanur Shivashankarappa from Davangere by projecting to have given “extra respect” to Lingayats than the BJP.
If the phrase on the road is something to go by, then a number of Lingayat seers have requested that the neighborhood assert itself and vote in opposition to the BJP in Savadatti, Athani, Gokak and Ramdurg to “shield their pursuits and dominance”.
The BJP depends closely on the Lingayats and the six districts of this area have 50 seats, of which the social gathering received 30 within the 2018 meeting elections. This time, that quantity appears a lot more durable to attain, particularly since non-Lingayats are seen to dominate affairs in these elements, in keeping with some residents.
“He (Pralhad Joshi) has an iron grip over Hubballi-Dharwad,” Yousuf Dargadh, a former zilla panchayat member from Dharwad mentioned of Joshi, cupping his left fist along with his proper hand to stress his level.
Amongst native Lingayats, some issues are proving laborious to neglect. Shettar naming BJP common secretary (organisation) B.L. Santhosh as the explanation for him being sidelined, and H.D. Kumaraswamy’s assertion that the BJP wished to make Joshi the CM.
“For us, it doesn’t matter who involves energy so long as they will preserve the BJP out,” Naushad Aslam, a lodge employee in Belagavi’s Khade Bazaar, mentioned.
Muslims have sided with the Congress or the MES, relying on who they see has stronger prospects to defeat the BJP on this area.
For professional-Kannada outfits, in the meantime, events don’t matter — nor does the caste equation — so long as the MES stays out of energy.
There are a number of components in any election of Belagavi as this border district has Marathas, Lingayats, and SC/ST as the most important communities, however the language politics of this area additionally performs a significant function.
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‘Intricate internet of caste equations’
Suresh Angadi, the BJP MP from Belagavi, died in September 2020, whereas Umesh Katti, the eight-time MLA from Hukkeri, handed away in September 2022 — lowering the variety of influential Lingayat leaders from this area.
The Congress in its campaigns has emphasised how the BJP “ill-treated” Yediyurappa, Savadi and Shettar, within the hope that Lingayats will swap sides.
There are 99 sub-castes inside the Lingayats the place one other layer of politics for dominance performs out.
Yediyurappa and Shettar are from the Banajiga subsect, whereas 2023 candidates Murugesh Nirani, Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, Vinay Kulkarni, Laxmi Hebbalkar and Arvind Bellad are from the Panchamasali subsect. Laxman Savadi belongs to the Ganiga subsect. Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and veteran Congress chief Shamanur Shivashankarappa are Sadr Lingayats.
Some members of the Panchamsalis, a land-owning agriculture-dependent neighborhood, seem to really feel slighted by the smaller subsects (Banajigas) occupying greater positions of energy and proudly owning many of the instructional establishments, lodges and hospitals within the area.
In 1991, Sambhaji Patil, the then mayor of Belagavi (then Belagum), felicitated the then Karnataka chief minister S. Bangarappa — a primary for any CM as they’d be extra used to black flags being waved by pro-Maharashtra factions.
In Belagavi metropolis, which is among the many areas disputed between Maharashtra and Karnataka, language issues.
Ashok Chandargi, a political analyst and pro-Kannada activist, defined that the area has Lingayats, Marathas, SCs, STs and some different communities whose help is contingent on components just like the candidate, trigger and perceived return of favours.
“From 1999 until 2013, we acquired a big chunk of the inhabitants to vote for events that had been pro-Karnataka and saved the MES out of the state meeting,” Chandargi instructed ThePrint.
Although the BJP has brazenly claimed that it doesn’t need Muslim votes, the social gathering’s legislators from this area haven’t endorsed their views.
Anil Benake, the BJP MLA from Belagavi north, didn’t endorse his social gathering’s views on the hijab ban nor sided with the argument that Muslims ought to be saved out of Hindu conventional festivals. The BJP denied him a ticket.
The Lingayats have their very own axe to grind in opposition to the Bommai-led BJP over the reservation row. In January this yr, Jaya Mrutyunjaya Swami, pontiff of Kudala Sangama, threatened to marketing campaign in opposition to the BJP if the Bommai-led state authorities fails to announce higher reservation for the Panchamasali subsect of the Lingayats.
The CM carved out two new classes and first tried to placate their anger by promising to present them extra allocations from the economically weaker sections (EWS) after which determined to take away Mulims to redistribute the OBC quota for non secular minorities amongst Lingayats and Vokkaligas.
“We by no means requested to deprive one other neighborhood and provides us that profit. You (authorities) could not give us a stomach stuffed with meals however they’ve given us simply sufficient to calm our starvation,” Jaya Mrityunjaya Swami instructed ThePrint.
‘Sahukar’
In Athani and Ramdurg, two distinguished Lingayat leaders (Savadi and Mahadevappa Yadawad) have been denied tickets by the BJP, whereas in Gokak, it’s a “conflict” in opposition to Ramesh Jarkiholi, who’s known as “sahukar”.
“For the longest time, Lingayats have seen their affect dip in a number of elements of Belagavi as Ramesh Jarkiholi expands his space of affect,” mentioned Ashok Chandargi.
The “Jarkiholi brothers”, who belong to the Valmiki neighborhood (STs), are sugar barons who wield important affect over the area.
Satish Jarkiholi is the Congress MLA and the social gathering’s working president, whereas Balachandra Jarkiholi is the BJP MLA from Arabhavi and chairman of the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF). Ramesh Jarkiholi is a legislator from Gokak and a former minister and catalyst within the toppling of the H.D. Kumaraswamy-led coalition authorities in 2019.
Ramesh has held an iron grip over Gokak since 1999 when he first received the seat and has since expanded his affect in your entire area.
Ramesh backed Mahesh Kumathalli, who was among the many 17 Congress-JD(S) turncoats and pressured the BJP to not discipline Savadi within the 2023 meeting elections from Athani.
Mahantesh Kavatagimath, the BJPs official candidate from the Jangama subsect of Lingayats, misplaced within the December 2022 MLC elections from Belagavi as Ramesh brazenly endorsed his brother, Lakhan.
Ramesh has additionally taken it upon himself to defeat Laxmi Hebbalkar, the Congress candidate from Belagavi Rural whom he considers an arch-rival. Hebbalkar can also be a Panchamasali, which lends to the narrative that Ramesh is attempting to “end off” the Lingayat management in Belagavi.
“Individuals are indignant with Kumathalli as a result of when individuals go to him for any work, he says that he’ll carry it to the eye of sahukar,” mentioned one individual in Belagavi, requesting anonymity.
“If water and motor are in Athani, the swap for it’s in Gokak,” he added.
Arvind Bellad, the BJP legislator from Dharwad, instructed ThePrint that different backward communities comply with the Lingayats and if this assertion holds water, then BJP may have troubles.
(Edited by Richa Mishra)
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