New Delhi: Former Karnataka Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar Thursday returned to BJP, giving a major ‘Lingayat’ fillip to the party ahead of the Lok Sabha election.

The 67-year-old Lingayat leader had crossed over to the Congress after he was denied a ticket to contest the Karnataka assembly elections but lost to the BJP's Mahesh Tenginakai by nearly 30,000 votes in the Hubli-Dharwad Central assembly segment.

He was welcomed back to the saffron party by BJP National President JP Nadda in the presence of senior party leaders BS Yediyurappa and Karnataka party chief Vijayendra Yediyurappa at BJP headquarters.

"I am rejoining the BJP. Earlier, the party gave me a lot of responsibilities. Because of some other issues, I went to the Indian National Congress Party. After that, in the last 8 to 9 months, there has been a lot of discussion in the BJP.

Shettar had held various high-ranking positions in the party, including six-time MLA, former Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, ex-Speaker, and party president.

"Karnataka BJP leaders and ground-level workers were egging me to rejoin the BJP. For that purpose, I responded. Our leader Yediyurappa ji, state party president Vijayendra ji, and our national leaders wanted me to rejoin BJP.

"For the last 10 years, Narendra Modi ji has done a lot of efforts to strengthen India/ and in the world, India has become a very powerful country under the leadership of Narendra Modi ji. So, to see Narendra Modji become PM once again and make India strong, for that purpose I am rejoining the BJP," he told reporters here.

After quitting the BJP in April 2023 after being denied a ticket for the assembly election. Despite losing in the assembly elections, Congress made him a Member of the Legislative Council (MLC) in Karnataka, apparently to retain him in the party for his Lingayat background.

Lingayats are a community in India, primarily found in the state of Karnataka. They are followers of the Lingayatism or Veerashaiva-Lingayat faith, which is a Shaivite religious tradition. Lingayats trace their roots to the 12th-century philosopher and saint, Basava, who emphasised devotion to Lord Shiva and rejected caste hierarchies.

Lingayats enjoy a strong political influence and the community’s support can bolster a party’s prospects in any election in Karnataka. 

According to media reports, BJP’s Karnataka defeat in the 2023 assembly polls had been anticipated by the political observers and perhaps also the loss of seats compared to the 2018 assembly polls as a direct and immediate effect of the resentment of the Lingayats, the single largest community accounting for the state’s 17 percent population.

According to reports, Lingayat support could affect at least 85 seats in the 224-seat Karnataka assembly.

Shettar’s return is definitely a positive signal for BJP, after earning the community’s ire for denying tickets to Jagdish Shettar and Laxman Savad, after prominent Lingayat leader BS Yediyurappa stepped down as the Chief Minister.

Last November, BJP also made Yediyurappa's son Vijayendra Yediyurappa as the State BJP President.

"Through an email, I have informed the Karnataka Congress President and requested him to accept his resignation from the primary membership of the Congress. I have also emailed my resignation as MLC to Legislature Council Chairman Basavaraj Horatti. I will be meeting them personally to hand over the resignation," Shettar said.

(With UNI inputs)