Karnataka elections: Demand for Lingayat as separate religion creates trouble for BJP
Yeddyurappa
The community is believed to be the single largest in Karnataka accounting for around 18% of the state’s population
The Lingayat movement for separate religion status is likely to become one of the deciding factors in the upcoming Karnataka Assembly elections.
With Assembly elections just a few months away, the demand for separate religious status for the Lingayats, a community that claims a historicity that separates them from the broad fabric of Hinduism, has started gaining ground in Karnataka again.
The community is believed to be the single largest in Karnataka accounting for around 18% of the state’s population.
BJP's CM candidate BS Yeddyurappa is the tallest leader for the Lingayat community, which is the largest vote bank in the state.
In 2013, Lingayat voters didn't vote for BJP as the party removed BS Yeddyurappa from CM post. As a result, Congress made a comeback.
Now, if Congress becomes successful in getting a good share of Lingayat votes, it will prove to be troublesome for BJP.
Who are the Lingayats?
The tradition of Lingayatism is known to have been founded by social reformer and philosopher Basavanna in 12th century Karnataka.
Followers of the sect continue to revere him as the founder and prime philosopher of their religion.
The community instead of temple worship and casteism were taught to worship Shiva with great rigour and gave up the ritualistic brahmin practices.
The Lingayats are what political scientists call a ‘caste-sect’, and fall within the OBC category in the state.