Karnataka: What was BJP’s calculation in refusing tickets to senior leaders – especially Lingayats?

The decision of senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former Karnataka chief minister Jagadish Shettar to join the rival Congress on April 17, days after the saffron party denied him a ticket to contest the state elections from his long-time seat, has raised questions about the Hindutva party’s ticket distribution strategy.

Ahead of the May 10 Karnataka assembly elections, the ruling BJP is facing tumult within its ranks for denying tickets to senior leaders, including some from the politically crucial Lingayat community and introducing new candidates.

Some observers say this tactic is aimed at staving off anti-incumbency sentiment and promoting a new generation of leaders. But others argue that this strategy is counterproductive because it is angering key Lingayat leaders, who have influence over a core support group for the BJP.

While joining the Congress on Monday, Shettar sought to project the impression that the BJP had ill-treated him though he had helped build the party in northern Karnataka. He said he was not in BJP for power. “I am from the Sangh Parivar and an [Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad] leader,” said Shettar. “But the BJP humiliated me by denying the ticket at the last minute.”

The Congress gave him a ticket for the Hubli-Dharwad Central constituency, a seat that he had...

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