Former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) deputy chief minister Laxman Savadi recently joined the Congress after the BJP refused to give him a ticket for the upcoming elections. Savadi, a Lingayat leader, said that the election is a battle for self-respect. In an interview, Savadi claimed that the BJP had been ignoring its loyal workers, and he could win seats for Congress that the BJP won by a margin of 5000-6000 votes. Edited excerpts:
If the party decided on a candidate after holding multiple meetings, isn’t it the responsibility of a worker to accept it?
It was a decision made because of pressure from Ramesh Jarkiholi, who is backing Mahesh Kumatahalli. Before announcing the candidates, the party had conducted an internal survey, which showed that Mahesh Kumtahalli would lose. Even I had asked an agency to conduct a survey. They said I had more than a 60% of changes of winning, whereas he had around 20% chance. I decided to leave the party for the people of my constituency.
The BJP has been claiming that your leaving will not make an impact.
In 2008, I won by 26,000 votes. In 2013, I won by a margin of around 21,000 votes. I lost by 2300 votes in 2018. There is a reason for the defeat, I was given a lot of party-related work and asked to campaign extensively in several areas. I couldn’t pay attention to my constituency.
During Operation Kamala, when 13 MLAs were to come to BJP, party leaders called me and told me that two MLAs, including, Athani MLA (who is contesting against him in 2023), would come to this side. I took the risk and dropped them to Mumbai. When they wanted a person from the Lingayat community to be deputy chief minister, I was the choice. This is my track record for the party.
{{/usCountry}}During Operation Kamala, when 13 MLAs were to come to BJP, party leaders called me and told me that two MLAs, including, Athani MLA (who is contesting against him in 2023), would come to this side. I took the risk and dropped them to Mumbai. When they wanted a person from the Lingayat community to be deputy chief minister, I was the choice. This is my track record for the party.
{{/usCountry}}Was there any promise made to you by the party regarding the ticket?
When the byelections happened after BJP formed the government (in 2019), I was told ensuring victory in Kagwad and Athani was my responsibility, and in return, in 2023, I will be given a ticket from Athani. This was told in the presence of (BS) Yediyurappa, (KS) Eshwarappa, Jagadish Shettar and others.
But, I started getting a sense that there was an attempt to sideline me in the party.
Why is that?
I was made the deputy chief minister (in 2019), but many people didn’t like it. They feared I would become a bigger Lingayat figure in the party. During that time, I was made in charge of a byelection in Basavakalyana and ensured a victory in the seat.
Along with the deputy CM post, I was given charge of the transport department, and soon I realised there was a conspiracy against me. When the KSRTC employee strike started (in 2019), I tried to talk to workers and resolve the issue. But I was told not to agree to any demand. I wanted to give the employee an interim relief of a 17% hike, but the leadership didn’t agree to it.
Meanwhile, some forces within the party were creating a case to tell the high command that I was incompetent. Eventually, I was removed from the post of deputy CM when Yediyurappa left (in 2021).
But that change happened because the new cabinet was sworn in.
If that is the case, why did they remove the protocols given to a deputy chief minister weeks after I took charge? Even though a deputy chief minister, the protocol was reduced to that of a cabinet minister.
The party’s call not to give you a seat, a sudden decision?
I was on the party core committee. When the candidate selection started, my constituency was the third on the list. I reminded them of the promise they made. However, they said the decision will be made by the high command. During lunch hours, (BJP leaders and Union ministers) Dharmendra Pradhan and Pralhad Joshi took me aside for lunch. I told them that Kumtahalli has severe anti-incumbency, and (they) told me I should move aside. I also told them that they should make him (Kumathalli) a minister, and I will work as an MLA, but they didn’t give a response.
When Bommai was leaving for Delhi for the seat discussion, I asked him if I should come. He told them why should worry when he was there and that he would convince them (high command of giving him a ticket). Convinced by this, I even started meeting my constituents. But before the first list was announced, Bommai, in a press conference, announced that I won’t be getting a ticket. This was even before the list was announced. I was in shock because he was a friend of mine for several decades, and I was the one who convinced him not to join the Congress.
Could you elaborate on Bommai wanting to join Congress?
It was in 2008. He wanted to join the Congress. Then my colleague CC Patil and I met him and convinced him to join BJP. I held meetings with Yediyurappa and later fixed a meeting between them. He (Bommai) wanted to contest the election from (Shiggaon)-Savanur constituency. So, I spoke to the sitting MLA there – Sindhura Rajashekar. He was known to my family, so I convinced him to give the seat to Bommai. So, I was shocked when he announced this in a press conference instead of showing the courtesy of telling me personally.
So when did you decide on joining Congress?
When I realised that the BJP had cheated me, I held meetings across the constituency. I proposed contesting as an independent or looking at joining Congress. They said I should join Congress since there was a chance of doing good work for the constituency if there was support from the government. After that, I went to Bengaluru and consulted my close friends, who also said that joining Congress would help ensure victory for others.
In Bengaluru, the Congress leaders met me at an apartment. I told them they should fulfil my demands of constructing an agriculture university in my constituency and continuing the irrigation projects. They agreed.
But BJP claims Ramesh Jarkiholi’s influence will help them in Belagavi
What influence does he have? Look at the election results in Belagavi in the past few years and tell me how many seats he has helped win.
But the party has fielded candidates of Jarkiholi’s choice.
The party thinks he is a big leader, and they are daydreaming that he will win them seats. He can give dreams, but he can’t deliver on the ground. Look at their favourite candidate, Mahesh Kumtahalli. He is contesting against me and looking at a very bad defeat. The survey done by the BJP and others has shown that. If he can’t ensure the victory of someone for whom he gambled his political career, what other seat can he win?
Before your resignation, you were among the BJP MLAs and leaders who complained to the party’s high command about the overreach of Jarkiholi in the district.
I told him (the BJP in charge of Karnataka Dharmendra Pradhan) there was a lack of unity in the party here, and once it was achieved it was possible to win 14-15 seats. Then Amit Shah came. He just made a declaration that no one should fight against each other. But there were no meetings to resolve the problems between the MLAs. The problems continue.
What impact can you make in the election for the Congress?
Wherever the party asks me to campaign, I will. I’m not saying I can swing seats, but Congress has its vote bank, and when I go, some votes could swing, and in many seats where Congress lost by a margin of 5,000-6,000 votes could swing. As of now, I am asked to campaign in around 10-16 constituencies.