As Lingayat reservation’s ‘deadline’ approaches, hike in other quotas may hurt BJP

Bengaluru:

Lingayat seer Shri Vachanananda Swamy, infamous for warning Lingayat leader BS Yeddyurappa, on stage at a function, of losing his Lingayat clout and pushing him for a cabinet expansion when Mr Yeddyurappa was chief minister, to present Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa Controversy has arisen again by reminding. Bommai said the ultimatum given by the Panchamasali Lingayat community (a sub-sect of Veerashaiva-Lingayats) demanding an increase in the reservation status is nearing its December 19 deadline.

Alluding to Mr. Bommai sitting on a ‘time bomb’ at the Panchamasali Sammelan event in Karnataka’s Gadag district, the Lingayat seer said, “By December 19, during the winter session, the Panchamasali community will be provided reservation under 2A of the OBC quota.” should be done. ,Based on the report of the Karnataka Backward Classes Commission. There will be no compromise on this. When BS Yediyurappa was the chief minister, we questioned him on increasing the status of reservation for the community. When he got up from his chair, So it gave the much needed boost to the Panchamasali community.”

The BJP government in Karnataka has recently been surrounded by allegations of corruption. Mr. Bommai, who realized that he was facing strong anti-incumbency, immediately launched a move to increase the SC/ST quota above the 50 percent reservation cap set by the Supreme Court, just ahead of the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections. Planned steps were taken. Mr. Bommai increased the reservation quota for Scheduled Caste community from 12 percent to 17 percent and for Scheduled Tribe community from 3 percent to 7 percent, taking the total reservation position to 56 percent – by BJP to appease the backward classes State elections in 2023, a step ahead.

However, the move has now put the BS Bommai government in a tight spot with Panchamasali Lingayats, and Vokkaligas – two major communities that heavily influence election results in the state – demanding a hike in reservation.

The Panchamasali Lingayats, a traditional vote bank for the BJP, have been demanding an increase in their reservation to around 15 per cent from the current 5 per cent.

Not only the Lingayat community, which accounts for about 17 per cent of the population, has demanded an increase in reservation, but also the Vokkaliga community, which is the traditional vote bank of the Janata Dal (Secular) and the Congress, and other major communities that make up the majority of the state. About 15 per cent of the population, have demanded an increase in the quota from 4 per cent to 12 per cent.