BJP walks caste tightrope in Karnataka ticket allocation, tries to pacify groups unhappy about quota changes

The BJP ‘s pattern in ticket distribution shows that it is attempting to mollify several communities that it is nervous about following the modification of quotas undertaken by the Basavaraj Bommai-led government in recent months. (Graphic by Ritesh Kumar)

Incidentally, of the 166 seats for which the Congress has named candidates, there are 26 constituencies reserved for Dalits, with the biggest chunk of 12 reserved seats given to the SC (Right) group that has traditionally backed the party. Several top party leaders, including its national president Mallikarjun Kharge, hail from this specific sub-group of Dalits.

In an apparent counter to the Congress move to give the SC (Right) the majority of seats, the BJP has allotted 10 seats to the SC (Left) that has backed it in recent years. The BJP has given eight of the 34 SC-reserved seats declared so far to the SC (Right) group.

In March, the BJP government, going by population numbers of Dalit sub-groups, decided to divide the 17% SC quota (based on population) and provided 6% quota to the SC (Left), considered the most backward, 5.5% to the SC (Right), and 4.5% to the “touchable” group that includes the Bhovis and Lambanis. The move resulted in protests by the “touchable” groups who were earlier able to access the entire quantum of reservations available to SCs.

The BJP has claimed that it has attempted to provide political representation for the most backward of Dalit groups in its candidate list. “In Sullia (in Dakshina Kannada) the Adi Dravida (SC Left) community candidate Bhagirathi Murulya has been chosen. She is very poor and lives in a very small house,” BJP MP Tejasvi Surya said while disclosing the caste makeup of the candidate list.

In a clear sign that the ruling party is leaving no stone unturned to fight the general impression that it has not been kind to its main vote base, it has awarded 30% of the tickets so far to candidates from the dominant Lingayat community, which makes up nearly 15% of the state population.

The BJP has been perceived as being antagonistic towards the Lingayats after it forced the exit of Lingayat leader B S Yediyurappa from the CM’s post in 2021 and refused to accede to demands of the Panchamasalis — a key Lingayat sub-sect — for access to a 15% quota available to Other Backward Classes (OBCs). In the final days of its tenure, the Bommai government increased the reservation quota for all Lingayats from 5% to 7% and classified them as most backward but this fix has reportedly not been acceptable to a large section of Panchamasalis.

Of the 63 seats given to the Lingayats so far, the BJP has given as many as 20 (32%) to the Panchamasali Lingayats, according to an analysis.

The Congress that is attempting to wean away the Panchamasali Lingayats by backing the quota agitation of the group has given a total of 42 seats (25%) to the Lingayats, including Reddy Lingayats, and has given a total of 11 seats (26%) to Panchamsalis.

In the 2018 state polls, the BJP fielded 55 Lingayat candidates for the 224 seats and 38 candidates won, while the Congress fielded 43 Lingayat candidates with 16 emerging as winners.

Both the Congress and the BJP have given 20% of the seats declared so far to Vokkaligas, the second key community in the state. The BJP has given them 43 out of 212 seats and the Congress 33 out of 166.

Both the Congress and the BJP have also allotted 20% of the seats announced to OBC groups. The Congress has given 34 of the 166 seats to OBCs and the BJP has given 41 of the 212 seats.

The BJP has given a total of eight seats to the Kuruba OBC group while Congress has given nine seats. The BJP has given nine seats to the Ediga/Billava OBC sub-group and the Congress has given six.

Among the smaller sub-groups of OBCs, the BJP has focused on groups such as the Gollas and Ganigas while the Congress has backed the Koli community.

The BJP has allotted 12 seats to Brahmins and the Congress has given them six tickets. The BJP has given eight seats to women and the Congress six. While the ruling party has not given any tickets to Muslims and Christians, the Congress has given 11 seats to Muslims and fielded two Christians so far.

The BJP has pitched its candidate list as having a large number of professionals. There are nine doctors, 31 post-graduates, five advocates, three academicians, one ex-IAS, one ex-IPS, two retired government employees and eight social activists, BJP’s Karnataka in-charge Arun Singh said this week.

“The entire selection has been whetted and blessed by PM Narendra Modi. It is a mix of youth and experience. The culture of the party is to promote party workers and, as a consequence, seniors such as B S Yediyurappa have stepped aside and so have Halady Srinivas and K S Eshwarappa,” Tejasvi Surya said after the announcement of the party’s first list three days ago.