Bengaluru: Veerashaiva Lingayats had supported the Congress party in several assembly seats during the Karnataka elections. Hence, a large number of Lingayat community MLAs were elected. Now, Akhil Bharatiya Veerashaiva Mahasabha president Shamanur Shivshankarappa, a senior leader of the Congress party, was insisting that the Veerashaiva Lingayat community should be given fair representation in the Cabinet to retain the Veerashaiva Lingayat vote bank.
Shamanur, who dashed off a letter to the Congress party high command to consider the Lingayat community for the post of the Chief Minister, said that Veerashaiva Lingayats should be given more portfolios in the council of ministers. Speaking to ETV Bharat, he questioned what the rest of the caste, who voted for the Congress would do if Siddaramaiah and KPCC president DK Shivakumar were given important posts.
Expressing displeasure, Shamanur said that the Congress high command only discussed the names of former CM Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar for the post of Chief Minister. "A letter was written to AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, former president Rahul Gandhi and state Congress in-charge Randeep Surjewala from Akhil Bharatiya Veerashaiva Mahasabha to give the post of Chief Minister to the Veerashaiva Lingayat community," he said.