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Lingayat seer Dingaleshwar to contest against Pralhad Joshi
Lingayat seer had opposed Union minister Pralhad Joshi’s candidacy from the Dharwad Lok Sabha in the first two meetings of Lingayat seers at Moorusavira mutt in Hubballi last month
Lingayat seer Pakira Dingaleshwar, pontiff of Bhavaikyata mutt in Shirahatti taluk of Gadag district, announced on Monday his intention to contest as an independent candidate against Union minister Pralhad Joshi from the Dharwad Lok Sabha constituency.
“After consulting and obtaining consent of more than 200 seers and devotees from various mutts of north Karnataka, I have decided to contest as independent candidate from Dharwad,” the seer said during a press conference in Bengaluru, describing his candidacy as a “Swarthada Virudha Dharmayuddha” (a religious war against selfishness).
The seer, who had opposed Joshi’s candidacy in the first two meetings of Lingayat seers and community leaders and elders held at Moorusavira mutt in Hubballi last month, had requested the Bharatiya Jana Party (BJP) to change Joshi’s candidacy due to alleged atrocities against backward, religious minorities, downtrodden classes, as well as Lingayats.
He had given the party until April 2 to decide on the matter. However, when the party, through former chief minister BS Yeddyurappa, a prominent Lingayat leader, announced that Joshi would not be replaced, the seer said that he would consider contesting independently or supporting another candidate.
“Due to the unanimous decision of Swamiji’s and elders of our community, as well as others who have been victimised by Joshi, I have decided to contest against him independently,” Dingaleshwar Swami said, adding that Joshi had not only neglected Lingayats but also prevented people from his Brahmin community from gaining political prominence.
Dingaleshwar said that his candidacy aims to prevent Joshi’s atrocities against non-Brahmins. “Joshi was instrumental in removing Yeddyurappa, who was ousted for unknown reasons before completing his term. He also caused trouble for another Lingayat former CM Basavaraj Bommai, who replaced Yeddyurappa in the last term,” the seer said.
“The political decisions of Lingayats are solely directed against Joshi and not against the BJP,” he added, pointing out that the Lingayats, who constitute the highest number of voters in the northern region of the state, would teach Joshi and the BJP a lesson for refusing to change his candidacy in Dharwad. “The BJP’s decision to disregard the pleas of Lingayats will prove costly in the rest of the constituencies in north Karnataka,” the seer said.
Pointing out the denial of tickets to former CM Jagadish Shettar and former BJP deputy CM, Congress legislator Lakshman Savadi, both from the Lingayat community, in the last assembly election, the seer said, “Although experienced and senior figures, Shettar and Savadi failed to comprehend Joshi’s conspiratorial tactics, which sidelined those he considered his competitors. He also orchestrated false allegations resulting in Congress legislator Vinay Kulkarni’s imprisonment and prevented him from entering the district.”
While the seers of two highly influential Lingayat mutts in Belagavi declined to comment on Joshi’s atrocities against Lingayats, they expressed their support for Dingaleshwar’s decision to contest. One of the seers, on condition of anonymity, said, “Most of the mutts in the state engage in social work, providing freshly cooked food round-the-clock to everyone who visits the mutt throughout the year. Such seers must enter the political sector, where they can have more opportunities to reach the needy, helpless, and underserved, as well as protect the tarnished image of the political sector.”
In response to Dingaleshwar’s decision, the Union minister said, “Every eligible person can contest the elections. I regard the Swamiji as one of the candidates against me and will approach the election as I have in previous ones.”
He further said that his track record in the constituency, ministerial responsibilities to the nation, and the people’s desire to re-elect Narendra Modi as Prime Minister would aid in retaining his seat.
Having represented Dharwad for the third consecutive term, Joshi expressed confidence that the Lingayats, who have supported him in all previous elections, would continue to do so. “I am confident that the Lingayats will stand by me, ensuring a higher margin of victory votes than in previous elections,” Joshi affirmed.
