Bengaluru: For the first time in recent years, the Congress is facing Assembly polls with no prominent Lingayat face in Mysuru and Chamarajanagar districts that have a good population of Lingayats/Veerashaivas.
From 1952 to 2013, these two districts had a Lingayat politician who could sway the votes of his community in favour of any political party. But, the sudden demise of Gundlupet MLA H.C. Mahadevaprasad has created a big vaccum as far as Lingayat leaders are concerned.
Before carving out Chamarajanagar district in 1998, the undivided Mysuru district had the rare distinction of producing great Lingayat stalwarts such as M Rajashekar Murthy, M.S. Gurupadaswamy, H.S. Mallaradhya, K.S. Nagarathnamma, H.M. Channabasappa, H.K. Shivarudrappa, H. Srikantasetty and H Gangadhar who created a niche for themselves in politics. They were not only powerful leaders but also had the capacity to swing the tide in favour of their respective political parties.
Though many started their political journey from the Congress, some joined the Janata Party and BJP later due to bickering. Basically, they had big land holdings and were educated which helped them win elections without facing much opposition.
However, things changed after former chief minister and a champion of the BCs, D. Devaraj Urs, who hailed from Hunsur taluk, brought several reforms including giving an opportunity to the BCs to contest elections. With this, the electoral clout of the powerful Lingayat community declined gradually, thanks to social awakening among other communities.
Congress sources admit that though Mahadevaprasad was groomed as a face of the Lingayats in Mysuru and Chamarajanagar districts by CM Siddaramaiah, his influence was restricted only to two or three districts unlike Mr Gurupadaswamy, Ms Nagarathnamma and Mr Rajashekar Murthy who had a ‘Pan Karnataka’ image. The CM may be a mass leader but it is not so easy for him to attract Lingayat community votes, said sources adding that the BJP has an advantage with State unit president B.S. Yeddyurappa enjoying mass appeal. Besides, Yeddyurappa hails from Bokanakere in Mandya district, that shares its boundary with Mysuru district.
Mahadeva Prakash, a political analyst opined that for the first time in the last 70 years, the Congress is going to the crucial Assembly elections without a strong Lingayat leader in Mysuru and Chamarajanagar districts. Both districts have a sizable number of Lingayat/Veershaiva votes that could have gone to the Congress. But, the lack of a strong Lingayat leadership in old Mysuru region is a big drawback.
Water Resources Minister M.B. Patil had every opportunity to emerge as a strong Lingayat leader but lost it after taking the side of a section of Lingayats thus inviting the wrath of the Veerashaivas. There are people in the community who feel Patil played into the hands of Siddaramaiah and divided the community in the garb of securing separate religion status.
