Karnataka: CM Yediyurappa strikes Lingayat, Vokkaliga balance

BENGALURU: Until now, BJP was largely seen as a party of Lingayats in Karnataka because of the huge support it received from the community.
But by inducting four more Vokkaligas in the cabinet, chief minister BS Yediyurappa has managed to provide near-equal representation to the two influential social groups.
There are now seven Vokkaliga and nine Lingayat ministers, including the CM. Before the expansion, there were three Vokkaligas and eight Lingayats.
Lingayats and Vokkaligas account for 17% and 13% of the state’s population, respectively.
BJP has pulled off a delicate balance, almost matching the number of Vokkaliga ministers (eight) in the previous Congress-JD(S) coalition government headed by HD Kumaraswamy. The Siddaramaiah-led Congress government, from 2013 to 2018, had five Vokkaliga ministers.
Two new Vokkaliga members of the Yediyurappa government represent Mandya and Chikkaballapur districts, where BJP will now be hoping to build a proper support base from its current negligible presence. With nine ministers, Lingayat representation in the cabinet is also at a record level.
“The turn of events has helped Yediyurappa drum up support among voters of both communities. This will create worries for JD(S) and Congress,” said political analyst NK Mohanram.
But BJP’s decision to leave out Mahesh Kumatalli, from the Lingayat subsect of Pancahamasali, may cause some anger. There are 13 Panchamasali MLAs in BJP, but only one, CC Patil, was inducted.
“Naturally, I feel bad. But it is for the chief minister to explain why he took this decision,” said Kumatalli, who stayed away from the swearing-in ceremony.
Said Lahar Singh Siroya, a member of the legislative council, “This round of cabinet expansion happened in extraordinary circumstances. The chief minister will ensure representation of all communities and regions in the next round.”