Yediyurappa’s shoes are not easy to fill as community’s tall leader

Over the last few days, B.Y. Vijayendra, son of the former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, and Congress leader M.B. Patil have exchanged barbs over the “treatment” meted out to Lingayats in the BJP. Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has also been vociferously defending the party’s decision that led to the exit of the former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar and the former Deputy Chief Minister Laxman Savadi.

Over the last few days, B.Y. Vijayendra, son of the former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, and Congress leader M.B. Patil have exchanged barbs over the “treatment” meted out to Lingayats in the BJP. Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has also been vociferously defending the party’s decision that led to the exit of the former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar and the former Deputy Chief Minister Laxman Savadi.

The exchanges between the two leaders from the Veerashaiva-Lingayat community are being viewed as veiled attempts to position themselves as the community leaders, with Mr. Yediyurappa remaining out of the electoral fray.

What has raised eyebrows is that though Mr. Vijayendra has made multiple moves in the past to claim his father’s legacy, Mr. Patil had remained more or less quiet. After lending the leadership role for a separate Lingayat religion movement in 2017, Mr. Patil had not been vocal on community issues despite his appointment as chairman of the Congress election committee. He, however, is learnt to have had a say in the selection of Lingayat candidates fielded by the party and more recently in getting Mr. Shettar to the Congress.

“Community is watching as to who will emerge to take the leadership role. In that sense, this election is important as to who will stake the claim. However, most of the community leaders have not attempted a pan-Karnataka and pan-community leadership so far,” said a senior office-bearer of the Veerashaiva-Lingayat Mahasabha. “Though Lingayats are in good numbers in about 150 constituencies, the community leaders have not grown their influence beyond their constituencies or districts. Mr. Yediyurappa’s presence as a towering leader also inhibited their growth.”

In this election, KPCC working president Eshwar Khandre, Vinay Kulkarni, and S.S. Mallikarjun along with Mr. Patil fancy a chance to emerge as community leaders from the Congress. Mr. Vijayendra, Mr. Bommai, Industries Minister Murugesh Nirani, Housing Minister V. Somanna, and Arvind Bellad are being tipped to be the leaders in the race in the BJP.

Observers also believe that emerging to be a pan-community leader in the current circumstances is difficult since the Veerashiva-Lingayat sub-castes’ pressures and aspirations have also changed. “Mr. Yediyurappa’s success post the late Veerendra Patil period was in emerging to be the encompassing leader of the community, which was also aided by the migration of leaders from various Lingayat sub-sects to the BJP after the Janata Dal split in 1999,” said a leader.

By bringing Lingayat leaders into the BJP fold, Mr. Yediyurappa also stymied the growth of regional leaders from the community in other parties. In the last two decades, no Lingayat leader barring Mr. Somanna in Bengaluru has been able to emerge from Old Mysore region where there is a substantial Lingayat presence, added the leader.