The outburst of Fakira Dingaleshwar Swami, a Lingayat seer from Shirahatti in Gadag district, against the BJP for “ignoring” certain communities while “appeasing” some others during ticket distribution for the Lok Sabha election, has brought to the fore the undercurrent in several communities which feel that they are denied opportunity in the electoral arena in the State.
While ticket distribution during the parliamentary election is restricted to 28 constituencies, leaving limited space for caste-based manoeuvres, there has been disenchantment among many communities towards all parties since the time of the Assembly election. Particularly so among the most backward classes (MBCs), whose relatively smaller population does not provide a lever for bargaining.
