Lingayat Seers in Huballi met on Wednesday and demanded the BJP leadership to replace Prahlad Josh in Dharwad Lok Sabha seat. They have given a deadline of March 31 for the party high command to make a decision on this issue. Jagadguru Fakira Dingaleshwar Mahaswami, the Pontiff of Fakkireshwar Mutt, claimed that Joshi's reputation was bad and that every community was dissatisfied with him.


Pontiff of Fakkireshwar Mutt, Jagadguru Fakira Dingaleshwar Mahaswami said, "Seers from Karnataka have held discussions about Dharwad constituency MP (BJP's Pralhad Joshi). All the heads of Mutts have decided to change the MP. For this, they have given four days. We will wait until March 31."

"We will see what the high command does in these 4 days. After that, on April 2, we will come together and tell you about our decision...We are not talking about the individual. The personality of the individual is really bad. Every community is unhappy with him. So, this decision has been taken...We will have to wait till April 2...We are not talking about the party, we are talking about Pralhad Joshi and his personality."







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During the meeting, he mentioned it was decided that similar to the northern regions, Swamijis in the southern parts should also engage in the political arena and participate in elections.














Lingayats are reportedly the majority among voters in the Dharwad segment, whereas Joshi, a four-time MP, belongs to the Brahmin community, as per a report on PTI.


Confident Of Pralhad Joshi's Win: Yediyurappa


Amid the controversy, BJP senior leader Yediyurappa said that he was confident that Pralhad Joshi will win with a huge margin in Dharwad seat. He said, "I am confident that Pralhad Joshi will win with a huge margin (from Dharwad Lok Sabha constituency). I will speak with Dingaleshwar Swamiji to sort out any misunderstandings promptly."

"Pralhad Joshi is a leader who works with all communities," he added.