Congress fields Lingayats in 10 out of 18 seats in Belagavi

BELAGAVI: Out of the 18 assembly constituencies in the district, the Congress party has given ticket to Lingayat candidates in 10 segments. More interestingly, six of them belong to the Panchamasali community. The movement led by Basava Jaya Mrutyunjay Swami of Kudala Sangama, for the grouping of Panchamasalis, a sub-sect of the Lingayats, in the OBC '2A' category, had been a huge success in the district a couple of months ago.
The community had organised huge public conventions at Gokak, Kallolli, Hukkeri, Bailhongal, Savadatti, Ramdurg and Athani in this connection. Tens of thousands of people participated in each convention.
The Congress has made a strategy to cash in on the energy of the movement, by giving the highest number of tickets to Panchamasali leaders in the district. The party has given tickets to Laxmi Hebbalkar in Belagavi (Rural), AB Patil in Hukkeri, Ganesh Hukkeri in Sadalaga-Chikodi, Raju Kage in Kagawad, Dr Mahantesh Kadadi in Gokak and Babasaheb Patil in Kittur.
Meanwhile, BJP has given only three tickets to Panchamsali members- Mahesh Kumathalli in Athani, Mahantesh Dodagoudar in Kittur and Ratna Mamani in Savadatti.
However, as far as the Lingayat community is concerned, BJP has given them eight tickets against 10 tickets by Congress. BJP's reputation was also affected in the district after prominent Lingayat leaders like Laxman Savadi and former minister Shashikant Naik, quit the party. Lingayats in the district have also been upset with the BJP for denying ticket to senior leader and sitting MLA Mahadevappa Yadawad in Ramdurg.
However, BJP has managed to give three tickets to Banajiga community, another sub-sect of the Lingayats. The party has fielded Banajiga candidates- Ramesh Katti in Sadalaga-Chikodi, Nikhil Katti in Hukkeri and Jagadish Metgud in Bailhongal. The Congress has given two tickets to Banajiga community- Mahantesh Koujalagi in Bailhongal and Ashok Pattan in Ramdurg. There was no Panchamsali factor in the 2018 election or the elections held earlier. This is the first time the Panchamsali community is looking organised and is speaking for its rights, thanks to the two-and-a-half-year-long padayatra and meetings by Basavajay Mrityunjay Swami.