Much political action has taken place in the Kittur Karnataka, earlier known as Bombay Karnataka, and central Karnataka regions this election season, as old friends have parted ways, arch-rivals have united and all parties have faced rebellion. The campaign has been largely centred on caste, reservation and identity politics, with issues of deeper concern to people’s livelihoods — such as long-pending irrigation projects — slipping under the radar.
High-profile defections
In Kittur Karnataka, the most debated development is the defection of senior Lingayat leaders Jagadish Shettar and Laxman Savadi to the Congress, after they were denied tickets by the BJP. Although the agitation demanding separate and enhanced reservation for Panchamasalis — a prominent Lingayat sub-sect — had created a flutter in the run-up to the election, the last minute announcement on enhanced reservation for all Lingayats under the 2D category of the Other Backward Classes (OBC) quota seems to have placated at least a section of the community, if not all.
