Shivakumar camp seeks Vokkaliga–Panchamasali unity to bolster CM bid
Both communities, predominantly agrarian, have strongholds in south and north Karnataka respectively. The strategy, sources say, is to unite them under the shared theme of agriculture. With Panchamasalis accounting for about 60% of the Lingayat population, Shivakumar's camp believes that amassing them under the Vokkaliga functionary could help him gain acceptance in northern districts and secure pan-Karnataka popularity.
Panchamasali politicians such as women and child development minister Laxmi Hebbalkar are counted among his loyalists. Shivakumar has also begun reaching out to Panchamasali mutt pontiffs, with plans to intensify outreach after the ongoing monsoon legislature session.
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The move is also aimed at the next assembly polls, with BJP seeking to cement its alliance with JD(S) under the joint leadership of HD Kumaraswamy (Vokkaliga) and BY Vijayendra (Lingayat).
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Such a combination could pose a serious challenge for Congress, unlike in the 2023 elections when both communities distanced themselves from BJP.
"As KPCC president, everyone knows about Shivakumar's contribution to the party's victory in 2023," said Ravikumar Ganiga, Congress MLA from Mandya. "While it is the prerogative of the high command to decide on the CM post, we hope Shivakumar will get his due reward by becoming CM with the support of all communities and sections of society."
C
ommunity representatives see the unity drive as a necessity – even beyond political considerations – especially with the state govt announcing a new caste census for Sept–Oct. Both Vokkaligas and Lingayats opposed the previous enumeration by the H Kantharaju Commission, which CM Siddaramaiah has since scrapped. The cabinet has approved Rs 624 crore for the new survey, with formal notification expected soon.
"After a long struggle we were able to convince the govt to abandon the Kantharaju report," said Vijayananda Kashappannavar, Panchamasali MLA and chairman of Veerashaiva-Lingayat Development Corporation. "Now, the task is to ensure justice for both communities in the new survey and that can be achieved with unity among Lingayats and Vokkaligas. Shivakumar is our party president and it is obvious that we look up to him.
A decision on the CM's post will be taken at a proper time."
The plan also seeks to bring in OBC groups other than Kurubas, and both Right and Left sects of Scheduled Castes, amid concerns over the new census and the Justice Nagamohan Das report on internal reservation for SCs.
Meanwhile, talk of AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge emerging as a consensus CM candidate, especially after the ouster of Siddaramaiah's aide KN Rajanna from the cabinet, has added to the churn. "It is natural that the rank and file want to see a veteran like Kharge at the helm. But, there is no conflict about the CM post as it is being made out. It is up to the high command to take a call," said Radhakrishnan Doddamani, Gulbarga MP and Kharge's son-in-law.
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