Karnataka Polls: As D-Day Draws Closer, Lingayat Forum Extends Support To Cong, Shettar Meets Seers In Hubbali

Karnataka Veerashaiva Lingayat forum has urged the members of Lingayat community to vote for Congress in the Karnataka polls. The seers from the community also met party leaders.

Lingayat seers meet Congress leader in Hubbali ahead of Karnataka elections

Source : ANI

Karnataka Veerashaiva Lingayat forum issued an official letter extending its support to Congress in the May 10 Karnataka assembly elections. The forum has urged the members of Lingayat community to vote for the party in the upcoming polls. The Lingayat seers also met Congress leaders Shamanur Shivashankarappa and Jagadish Shettar in Hubbali on Sunday. 

The polling is scheduled to take place for the 223-member Karnataka Assembly on May 10 and the votes will be counted on May 13. 

Both the incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress are trying their best to secure the votes from Lingayat community, which constitutes around 17 per cent of the state’s population, and is considered a vote bank of the BJP. 

#WATCH | Congress leaders Shamanur Shivashankarappa and Jagadish Shettar met Lingayat Seers in Hubbali, Karnataka pic.twitter.com/BH1ZohUCiG

— ANI (@ANI) May 7, 2023

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi last week visited Sangamanatha Temple, believed to be the seat of sacred Samadhi of Lingayat sect founder, Basaveshwara, also known as Basavanna.

Meanwhile the ruling BJP government in Karnataka has announced to increase the reservation for the Lingayat community to seven per cent and Vokkaliga quota to six per cent.

The government also decided to scrap the four per cent quota for minorities and add it to the existing quota of the two dominant communities.

Earlier last December, the Karnataka Cabinet had abolished 3A and 3B categories of reservation for Vokkaligas and Lingayats respectively and had replaced them with two new categories of 2C and 2D.

Karnataka Elections 2023 CVoter Opinion Poll

According to the opinion poll, Congress seems to be forming the next government in Karnataka with a projected seat range between 107 to 119 while BJP is expected to get seats somewhere between 74 and 86 and JDS between 23 and 35 seats. 

At around 40 per cent, Congress is expected to bag the most vote percentage with BJP following at 40 per cent and JD(S) at 17 per cent, and others at 8 per cent. 

52 per cent of respondents in the survey are not happy with the work done by the current Bommai-led Bharatiya Janata Party government while 29 per cent are happy and 19 per cent consider it average.