Karnataka: In bid to gain edge, parties woo Lingayats, Vokkaligas

BENGALURU: Keeping caste equations in mind, the three major parties in the state have dished out most of their tickets to

Lingayats and Vokkaligas

— the two dominant communities. Although the BJP is yet to announce candidates for three seats and the Congress for one, caste arithmetic is evident from their lists of nominees.

The BJP has nominated nine Lingayats, while the Congress has picked six from the community. The saffron party has fielded six Vokkaligas, while the Congress and JD(S) together have fielded five. The BJP has also fielded two from other backward classes (OBCs) and three Brahmins, while the Congress-JD(S) combine has fielded eight OBCs.

While the BJP had not nominated a single Muslim, the Congress has picked one and is expected to field another from Dharwad as the name of Shakir Sanadi, son of former MP IG Sanadi, is doing the rounds. Shobha Karandlaje (Udupi-Chikkamagalur) is the lone woman candidate from the BJP.

The BJP will contest 27 seats (it will support independent Sumalatha in Mandya), the Congress-JD(S) combine will field candidates in all 28 in a 21:7 equation.

Viswas Shetty, a political analyst, said a mere swing of 1-2% would prove to be a game changer for both BJP and Congress-JD(S) combine. In 2014, the BJP won about 43% of votes, while the Congress and JD(S) together got 50%. “Caste is still at the core of Karnataka’s politics and tickets are distributed accordingly,” Shetty said.

Over the past two decades, the BJP has enjoyed the support of the Lingayat community and Congress-JD(S) the support of Vokkaligas. As per a rough estimate, Lingayats account for 17-19% and Vokkaligas make up 12-15% of the population of six crore.

Though scattered across several constituencies, OBCs, including the influential Kuruba community, will play a key role as it constitutes around 8-10% of the population.