Some BJP leaders have appealed to the party to field Vijayapura MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal from Belagavi, instead of the former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar.
A faction led by the former Minister Ramesh Jarkiholi met the BJP high command representatives in Bengaluru and asked them to nominate Mr. Yatnal from Belagavi and not Mr. Shettar.
They argued that Belagavi district has more voters from the Panchamsali Lingayat sub-caste than the Banajiga Lingayat community. This, they reason, is important because the Congress is likely to field Mrinal Hebbalkar, son of Minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar, who has been active in the reservation recategorisation agitation for Panchamsalis, in the constituency.
