Bengaluru: The Karnataka assembly election results depict that the ruling BJP's Veerashaiva-Lingayat vote bank has been completely shattered. Veerashaiva-Lingayat community, which supported the BJP in the previous Assembly and Lok Sabha elections, seems to have shifted to the Congress, giving a strong blow to the saffron party.
A total of 34 MLAs belonging to Veerashaiva-Lingayat community have won from Congress while there were only 16 MLAs from the community in 2018. This time, out of 46 candidates from this community who contested the poll with Congress ticket, 34 have been elected.
On the other hand, BJP gave tickets to a total of 69 Veerashaiva-Lingayats, of which only 18 got elected. In the last assembly election, 38 MLAs from the community were elected. The figures are a clear indication that the Veerashaiva-Lingayat community has supported the Congress in this election.
Minister V Somanna from the Veerashaiva-Lingayat community, who contested as a BJP candidate from Varuna constituency was defeated by Congress' former chief minister Siddaramaiah, who belongs to a backward class and is being supported by the Veerashaiva-Lingayat community.
Veerashaiva-Lingayat community has not supported former minister CT Ravi who is a senior BJP leader from Chikkamagaluru constituency. The community has given a clear message that they are in favour of Congress candidate Tammaiah, who belongs to the Ligayat community.
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Veerashaiva-Lingayat community has not supported the JD(S) as well. In the last election, 4 MLAs from the community were elected from JD(S) but, this time only 2 have won. JD(S) had given tickets to more than 50 candidates belonging to Veerashaiva-Lingayat community.
Again, ministers such as Murugesh Nirani, B C Patil, Govinda Karajola, Halappa Achar and Shankar Patil Munenakoppa being defeated too hint that the community has parted ways with the BJP.
