Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Coal and Mines Pralhad Joshi, who seemed to be comfortably positioned for another easy win in the Lok Sabha elections in Dharwad, has been caught off guard by the sudden outburst of some Veerashaiva Lingayat seers, who initially wanted him replaced. And, in the latest turn, one of them has threatened to jump into the poll fray, while Mr. Joshi, on his part, is leaving no stone unturned to placate the community.
On March 27, scores of Veerashaiva Lingayat seers met at Moorusavir Mutt in Hubballi to deliberate upon socio-political and religious issues and later, in a joint press conference, Sri Fakira Dingaleshwar Swami of Shirahatti Fakkireshwar Mutt sought a change in the BJP candidature. The seer wanted Mr. Joshi replaced with a Veerashaiva Lingayat candidate.
His demand was based on the perception that Mr. Joshi “ill treated the community seers” and caused injustice to the community leaders. The seer even set March 31 as deadline for the party to announce a new candidate.
