The Hindu : Karnataka News : Lingayats, BCs help JD(S) stage a comeback in Gulbarga

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, May 17, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka

Lingayats, BCs help JD(S) stage a comeback in Gulbarga

By T.V. Sivanandan

GULBARGA, MAY 15. It is the support of backward classes and Lingayats, which helped the Janata Dal (Secular) win five of the 13 Assembly seats in Gulbarga district.

The voting pattern showed that Kabbaligas and Kurubas, who constitute a majority among the backward classes, and a section of Lingayats favoured the Janata Dal (S) to stage a comeback in the district.

The Janata Dal (S) roped in the Kabbaliga leader, Vittal Heroor, just before the elections were announced. This ensured the party of the support by Kabbaligas. The decision of Kurubas to support the Janata Dal (S) headed by Siddaramaiah, who is a Kuruba, came in handy for the party. The decision of the party to field Lingayat candidates helped it to garner more votes from the community.

The Janata Dal (S) fielded six Lingayats, two Muslims, two Scheduled Castes and two candidates from backward classes, and allotted the Kamalapur (Reserved) seat to the CPI(M), which fielded Maruti Manpade.

Kurubas and Kabbaligas constitute 15.06 per cent of the electorate in the district and Lingayats account for 27.54 per cent. While Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes constitute 28.87 per cent, Muslims account for 23.80 per cent of the electorate.

While one section in the Lingayat community supported the Janata Dal (S), the other sided with the BJP. Muslims and a section of Scheduled Castes and Banjaras appeared to have backed the Congress. The BJP, which hoped to get the support of Lingayats, failed in its gamble with a section in the community spoiling its chances by supporting the Janata Dal (S) in constituencies such as Afzalpur, Aland, Chitapur, Chincholi and Shahapur. Though the BJP expected to win the Lok Sabha seat, the Janata Dal (S) spoiled its chances here too.

The Janata Dal (S) could have bagged the Yadgir and Surpur seats, which were won by the "rebel" Janata Dal (S) candidate, Veerabasantreddy Mudnal, and Raju Gowda of the Kannada Nadu party. Mr. Mudnal quit the Janata Dal (United) and joined the Janata Dal (S) when he was promised nomination to the Yadgir seat. However, the Janata Dal (S) changed its decision at the last minute and fielded its General Secretary, A.C. Kadloor, forcing Mr. Mudnal to contest as an independent candidate against A.B. Maalakaraddy of the Congress. Mr. Raju Gowda had resigned from the Congress and joined the Janata Dal (S) in the hope of getting the party nomination for the Surpur seat. But when the party denied him nomination, he contested as a candidate of the Kannada Nadu party.

Mr. Vittal Heroor, who played a major role in the selection of Janata Dal (S) candidates, lost in the Gulbarga Lok Sabha Constituency. He ensured the support of Kabbaligas to the Janata Dal (S) in all the Assembly constituencies in the district. Even the Home Minister, Mallikarjun Kharge, had to be content with winning the Gurmitkal seat by only 19,000 votes.

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