Parties look to woo Mutts and seers in bid to secure vote base for K’taka polls

Among the Mutts that are counted as influential are the Siddhaganga Mutt, the Suttur Mutt in Mysore,, the Kanaka Guru Peetha in Haveri district, revered by the Kuruba community that is counted as the vote bank tank of the Congress .

Among the devotees who lined up on Thursday morning to pay obeisance and seek blessings from Siddhalinga Mahaswamy at the Siddaganga Mutt, a place of reverence especially for the Lingayat community, was Gowrishankar Swamy, a sitting legislator of the Janata Dal (Secular) from the Tumkur Rural constituency.

The leaders across the political spectrum have been making a beeline for seeking approval from the Mutts. (PTI)

Swamy, who filed his nomination later in the day, got relief from the Supreme Court this week, after it stayed the Karnataka high court’s order last month, disqualifying him for distributing fake insurance bonds to voters in the previous assembly election. The stopover at the Mutt before he filed his nomination was par for the course as most leaders in the state are known to seek blessings from seers and pontiffs before any important or auspicious event.

“Political parties visiting Mutts has been part of electioneering in Karnataka. This time, since the Congress and the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) are fighting a pitched battle and the JD(S) is trying to retain its vote bank, there is a more concerted effort by political leaders to find favour with the Mutts and the pontiffs,” said a local resident and devotee, not wishing to be named.

Pivotal role

In the state where the ruling BJP is accused of using religion to drive its politics, there is a perception that seers and Mutt leaders play a pivotal role in shaping the discourse. It is no surprise then that leaders make a beeline for seeking approval from the Mutts. To be sure, the Mutts are coveted by all political parties, including the Congress and the JD(S).

The BJP, which is battling the perception that it has loosened its hold over the Lingayat vote bank, has bolstered its outreach as senior leaders have been visiting Mutts and announcing aid. Prime Minister Modi visited the Siddhaganga Mutt, while Union home minister Amit Shah visited the Sri Adichunchanagiri Mutt, a place of reverence for the Vokaligga community that the BJP is trying hard to woo.

Party president JP Nadda since January has visited a clutch of Mutts in Tumakuru, Davangere and Chitradurga districts to woo the scheduled caste, Lingayat and Vokaligga communities.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, too, has had stopovers to elicit support from the seers. In August last year, Gandhi paid a visit to the Murugha Mutt in Chitradurga. The party was buoyed when the Haveri Hosamata seer commented about his prospects of becoming a Prime Minister like his father and grandmother.

For the BJP, the outreach to the Mutts redoubled after Dingaleshwar Swamy of the Balehosur Mutt made a stinging comment about graft in the state. In April last year, the Lingayat seer created a stir with his comment that there is rampant corruption in the state and the Mutts, too, have to pay a commission of 30% to get grants sanctioned for them. Although the BJP was quick to deny the allegations, there was palpable concern within the party on the fallout that the statement could have for the party in the polls.

Doles and favours

While Mutts and seers have played a key role in influencing the electorate, it was the Lingaayat strongman, Yediyurappa, who started the practice of “generous doles and favours” to the Mutts, a BJP leader said.

“In 2013, when BS Yediyurappa quit the party fold, there was drop in support for the BJP among the Lingayats. That time, several Mutt leaders had indicated that the move would not augur well for the party, and so it did. In 2018, too, there was a perception of distance between the party and the mutts over several issues, including grants,” the BJP leader said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “This time, the party took no chances and ensured that there is no scope for disengagement, given their role as influencers.”

In March, the state government allocated ₹1,000 crore for the development and renovation of temples in addition to grants for some of them. Presenting the budget, chief Minister BS Bommai announced the construction of a Ram temple in Ramanagaram district to woo voters considered as the vote bank of the Congress and the JD(S).

The party’s outreach programme, the Vijay Sankalp yatra, was started from the Jnana Yogaashram in north Karnataka and the Siddaganga Mutt in Tumkur. Both are places of reverence for the Lingayats.

“The Lingayat Mutts are considered to have more clout in the state, although their followers are not restricted to a single community. In Karnataka, Mutts are inclusive spaces, given the work they do in the fields of social service, health care and education. Therefore, they have a wider reach among other communities as well,” the BJP leader said.

Political parties try to elicit support of the Mutts through promises to buttress their work in these areas by providing financial and logistical support.

Among the Mutts that are counted as influential are the Siddhaganga Mutt, the Suttur Mutt in Mysore, which is considered a place of reverence for the VeeraShiva-Lingayat community, the Kanaka Guru Peetha in Haveri district, revered by the Kuruba community that is counted as the vote bank tank of the Congress .

In Chitradurga, the Muruga Mutt that had been at the forefront of seeking to dismantle social restrictions imposed on the so-called lower castes, is now embroiled in a controversy after the chief pontiff was arrested following charges of sexual misconduct.

In Udupi, Sri Krishna Mutt was a big draw for political leaders, particularly of the BJP, for its support to the Ram Janmabhoomi movement.

“Mutts are often very subtle in their messaging. It is not always that they will come out with political statements; they largely confined their concerns to social issues,” the BJP leader said. “However, there have been instances of Mutt leaders and seers issuing statements on issues such as reservation, like the Panchamasali Mutt’s Jagadguru Basava Jaya Mrityunjaya Swami had spoken for 15% reservation for the Panchamas community.”

Although the Mutts largely refrain from taking political positions, there have been instances of seers asserting their demands and preferences. In 2017, for instance, when the Lingayats sought to be denoted as a separate religion, their agitation was supported by Siddalinga Swami of Tontadarya Mutt, Gadag, and Muruga Sharanaru of Bruhan Mutt, Chitradurga, among others.

Challenges and pitfalls

The dependence on seers and Mutts come with challenges and pitfalls. In the event of a controversy surrounding the Mutt or it leader, it becomes difficult for political parties to sidestep the issues. “It’s a conflict and leaders have to strike a balance between the devotees and law enforcement agencies,” acknowledged the BJP leader.

In Chitradurga, at the Muruga Mutt spread between two lakes, there is a palpable distress over the disrepute that the charges against the pontiff, Shivamurthy Murugha, have brought to the centuries-old institution that runs educational institutions and hostels.

“There is no denying that the influence of the Mutt has dipped. Earlier, the Mutt was considered one of the oldest and most reputed. Now, people feel a sense of shame,” said a functionary of the Mutt, not wishing to be named.

Officials at the Mutt are hopeful that the government that has recently appointed a bureaucrat as administrator of the Mutt will pave the way for the appointment of a new pontiff.

Since Mutts exert influence on groups as the other backward classes, Dalits and the two powerful groups, the Vokaligas and Lingayats, it has become imperative for parties to ensure their support, said SC Natikar, professor of sociology at the Karnataka University, Dharwad.

“Each community has its own mutt, and there is a tendency among the followers to follow the cue of the pontiff and the seers,” Natikar said. “Though these Mutts claim to be apolitical, there is evident support for parties by various Mutts.”