Amid concerns that the Veerashaiva-Lingayats would drift away from the BJP, former chief minister B S Yediyurappa on Saturday made an appeal to the dominant community to continue supporting the saffron party even after his political retirement.
Besides being the biggest mass leader for the BJP in Karnataka, Yediyurappa is also arguably among the tallest patriarchs of the Veerashaiva-Lingayat community, which is considered to be the BJP’s core support base.
“With folded hands, I request the Veerashaiva-Lingayat community... they should continue supporting me and help the BJP win,” Yediyurappa, who has decided not to contest the upcoming Assembly election, said, when asked if the community would continue to support the BJP after his political retirement.
The Lingayat strongman explained that he had found contentment in the BJP, making it clear that the party had not sidelined him. “So far, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah have given me all opportunities,” he said. “I am retiring voluntarily. I’ll be 80 on February 27. So, no one from the community should be under any misunderstanding,” he added.
The Veerashaiva-Lingayat community is estimated to form about 16 per cent of the state’s population, making it a politically-dominant group whose influence is on a par with the Vokkaligas who make up for about 15 per cent.
Ever since Yediyurappa stepped down as chief minister in July 2021, the Congress has targeted the BJP for sidelining the veteran leader. This is seen as the Congress’ attempt to wean away a section of the community’s votes. Earlier this week, in the Legislative Assembly, Yediyurappa rubbished claims that the BJP had neglected him.
“I am satisfied and content that I was able to do whatever I could for the development of the state. In the coming days, I will tour across the state. I won’t sit at home. The BJP will come to power 100 per cent,” Yediyurapa said. “The Modi-Shah leadership is a big strength to us. Other parties don’t have such leadership, which all of you know. So, definitely, we’ll get a good result,” he said.
This is not the first time Yediyurappa has made a public appeal to his community. During the crucial 2019 bypolls, Yediyurappa was chief minister when he sought Veerashaiva-Lingayat votes for the BJP. Last week, a group of Congress’ Lingayat lawmakers is said to have met the party leadership seeking more representation to the community while deciding tickets, anticipating a swing in votes.