The sudden death of Umesh Katti, a Minister and senior leader, is likely to impact North Karnataka politics in a significant manner, especially in an election year.
Katti was arguably the tallest among the BJP’s Lingayat leaders in North Karnataka. He had spent the longest time in the BJP compared to his innings in other parties. Known for his organisational skills, the ruling party relied on him for planning rallies and other programmes in this region. He was also among the few Banajiga Lingayat leaders who were vocally opposed to the Lingayat separate religion movement that was sparked off during the previous Congress regime.
