The army of saffron is there to back Dingaleshwar Seer
Campaigning against the BJP will be an army of saffron, a first in recent political history. In an effort to “preserve Lingayat honour and dignity,” saffron-clad Lingayat swamijis have offered to canvass the Dharwad countryside and solicit votes.
However, the swamiji of Dingaleshwar has issued a warning, stating, “I don’t want swamijis to reach the streets for this.” Despite the fact that several people have offered to go to the streets and fight for his cause, he told TNIE, “My conscience will not allow me to use my supporters and swamijis for this.”
About 6-7 lakh Lingayat voters reside in eight assembly seats, and a large number of swamijis have volunteered to visit homes in these areas. They are supposed to meet voters to solicit support for Swami Dingaleshwara and assist him in his struggle for “Lingayat honor.”
“Saffron-clad swamijis should not get on the streets, kaavi dhaari beedige ilibaradu,” the swami said. There are around 18–19 lakh voters, and in the last elections, approximately 12–13 lakh of them cast ballots. Traditionally, Lingayats have supported the BJP, but this time things could be different.
Union minister Pralhad Joshi’s supporters, however, remain undeterred and claim that Joshi won by almost 2 lakh votes in the 2019 election, 1.1 lakh votes in the 2014 election, and 1.35 lakh votes in the 2009 election. The people are on our side, and they have very little chance of stopping Pralhad Joshi. People are aware that these are matters of national concern,” they stated.
When Joshi filed his nominations, he was accompanied by other Lingayat leaders, former chief minister B S Yediyurappa, Jagadish Shettar, and former MP Vijay Sankeshwar from Dharwad. When Dingaleshwara Swamiji was questioned about Lingayat leaders supporting Joshi, he said, “They are afraid to even discuss Joshi because of his influence within the BJP.”
Within the Congress circles, there is a conversation that Vinod Asuti, the party’s nominee, is not a match for Pralhad Joshi. According to internal polls and queries, the Congress candidate would have to put in a lot more effort to prevail against Joshi. Additionally, there was discussion of Congress backing the Swamiji to guarantee their victory in Dharwad. Some party leaders knocked it down, claiming that because B-Forms have been released, talking about reform won’t result in the party losing face. Since the Congress has typically operated in a secular environment, several senior officials have also voiced concerns about fielding religious figures.
