Veerashaiva-Lingayat leaders seek ‘fair representation’ in Rajya Sabha

With four Rajya Sabha seats from Karnataka set to fall vacant next month (June 25), leaders and workers from the Veerashaiva-Lingayat community have begun demanding at least two tickets for their community to ensure “adequate representation” in the Upper House of Parliament.

No leader from the Veerashaiva-Lingayat community has been elected to the Rajya Sabha from the electoral college of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly in the last 25 years. M.V. Rajasekharan was the last Veerashaiva-Lingayat leader elected to the Rajya Sabha from the State in 2002. He later served as Minister of State for Planning in the UPA government.

Theatre actress B. Jayashree was nominated to the Rajya Sabha in 2010 by the UPA government.

Retiring members

AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, JD(S) supremo H.D. Deve Gowda, and BJP members K. Narayana and Eranna Kadadi are set to retire from the Rajya Sabha on June 25. The Election Commission is expected to announce the election schedule soon.

Over the years, the Congress has elected leaders such as S.M. Krishna, Rajeev Gowda, and G.C. Chandrashekar (all from the Vokkaliga community), K.C. Ramamurthy (Reddy Vokkaliga), Mr. Kharge and L. Hanumanthaiah (Dalit), Syed Naseer Hussain (Muslim), B.K. Hariprasad (OBC), Oscar Fernandes (Christian), and Jairam Ramesh (Brahmin), besides Ajay Maken, former Delhi Congress president, to the Rajya Sabha.

In 2020, the Congress had also supported JD(S) candidate Mr. Deve Gowda for election to the Rajya Sabha.

Following the Congress’s decision to field sons/daughters of Ministers in the Legislative Assembly, Legislative Council, and Lok Sabha elections, several grassroots-level party leaders and workers have started voicing concerns over being denied opportunities and are now seeking representation in the Rajya Sabha.

A party functionary said that although there is a significant presence of Veerashaiva-Lingayat voters in several Assembly constituencies in the Old Mysore region, the community has not received adequate representation. Only two MLAs of the ruling Congress — K. Shadakshari (Tiptur) and Ganesh Prasad (Gundlupet) — currently represent the community in the region. Moreover, the community has no representation in the AICC office-bearers’ list.

Family members only

Another party leader alleged that many Congress “dynastic” leaders appear more focused on promoting their own family members than supporting loyal party workers. According to the leader, there is growing dissatisfaction among grassroots workers, who feel that senior leaders are ignoring their grievances.

In the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections, the Congress is expected to seek the re-election of Mr. Kharge. Several senior and junior leaders are already vying for the two additional seats the party is likely to win.

How numbers stack up

The Congress, which has 135 members in the Assembly, is expected to retain three Rajya Sabha seats from Karnataka. In addition, two BJP legislators — S.T. Somashekar and Shivaram Hebbar — have turned rebels and are considered close to the Congress. An Independent MLA is also likely to support the ruling party. The BJP-JD(S) alliance is expected to secure one seat.

Members of the Muslim community had earlier expressed displeasure over the denial of a ticket for the Davangere South Assembly Constituency. Sources said Veerashaiva-Lingayat leaders, too, may feel disappointed if the party fails to nominate a representative from the community to the Rajya Sabha.

“The failure to provide tickets to grassroots leaders and workers could adversely impact the Congress’ prospects in the 2028 Assembly elections,” the leader said.