Over 1 Lakh Lingayats, Led By BJP MLA, Stage Massive Protest In Karnataka
NDTV
Lingayat seers and BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil, who has been vocal against senior party leaders BS Yediyurappa and BS Bommai, are spearheading the protest.
Over a lakh members of the Panchamasali Lingayat community -- a sub-sect of the upper caste Lingayat group in Karnataka which constitutes nearly 18 per cent of the state's population -- today staged a massive protest demonstration from the iconic Suvarna Soudha in Belagavi demanding reservations in education, and government jobs.
BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil, who has been vocal against senior party leaders BS Yediyurappa and BS Bommai, is spearheading the protest.
Panchamasali Lingayats, who constitute 60 per cent of the Lingayat population, have claimed that they have not been given much-needed political representation, despite forming a larger chunk of the Lingayat community. They have the power to influence over 100 seats in the Kittur Karnataka region, which was earlier known as the Mumbai-Karnataka region, consisting of nearly 7 districts.
The Kittur Karnataka region consists of Uttara Kannada, Belagavi, Gadag, Dharwad, Vijayapura, Bagalkot, and Haveri.
