BENGALURU: BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa 's announcement to contest from an assembly constituency in North Karnataka is the BJP's strategy to replicate Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 2014 Lok Sabha poll template with a tweak.Modi contested from his 15-year-old Vadodara constituency in Gujarat and Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh to send out a message to voters that the next Prime Minister would be from their state. The BJP had fared poorly in 2009, winning only 10 of the total 80 Lok Sabha seats, but with Modi contesting from Varanasi, the party bagged 71 seats in 2014.In Karnataka, the BJP managed to win 40 of the total 224 assembly seats in 2013 and increased its tally to 47 later.Under its 150-seat mission, fielding Yeddyurappa -who has been declared chief ministerial candidate -from a constituency in North Karnataka is likely to bolster the party's prospects in the Lingayat-dominated belt.Of the 224 constituencies, over 90 are in North Karnataka, where the Lingayat-OBC-Dalit combination usually works for a candidate's victory.Of the 47 seats held by the BJP now, 50% are from North Karnataka, which shows the party has the Lingayat backing.In 2013, the Karnataka Janata Party of Yeddyurappa spoilt the BJP's prospects in 29 constituencies. The combined vote share of BJP and KJP in the constituencies was more than the votes secured by winning candidates.Most of these constituencies were in the Lingayat-dominated North Karnataka.Perhaps chief minister Siddaramaiah did not realize that when he stirred the Lingayat caste cauldron, it would lead to a chain reaction, with the BJP leadership planning to rejig its poll strategy and consider fielding Yeddyurap pa from North Karnataka.According to BJP sources, the party leadership has decided to apply electoral churning to some members in the core committee. "Former DyCM R Ashoka may be asked to shift from Padmanabhanagar to either Ramanagara or Mandya and former CM Jagadish Shettar from Hubballi-Dharwad Central to Gadag, "a source said.It is not Yeddyurappa alone who's vying to contest from North Karnataka. Siddaramaiah is under pressure to move north from Mysuru district. Former minister Satish L Jarkiholi has suggested the CM contest from Athani in Belagavi, while KPCC working president (North Karnataka) S R Patil wants him to opt either for Bagalkot or Badami. Siddaramaiah had unsuccessfully contested from Koppal on a Janata Dal ticket in 1991.Congress sources said unlike Yeddyurappa, the ruling party does not have a Lingayat leader whom voters can identify with. Besides, the demand for a separate identity raised by Lingayat ministers resulted in confusion and division rather than consolidation of the community, they added.State JD(S) president H D Kumaraswamy was the first to recognize North Karnataka's significance. In 2016, he took up a house in Dharwad to revive JD(S) in the region and indicated he may contest from one of the constituencies there as well as from Ramanagara. "Modi had contested from Gujarat and UP during the last Lok Sabha elections. I will enter the poll fray from two constituencies in the elections next year,'' he had said.Kalaburagi: About five lakh people are expected to participate in the Lingayat religion status rally organized in Kalaburagi on September 24, and will come in from across the state and also Maharashtra and Telangana, Sulfal seer Mahant Shivacharya said.About 25 seers from Kalaburagi and Yadgir districts are involved in spreading awareness about the rally.Ravindra Shabadi, convener of the rally, said it will be held at Nutan Vidyalaya grounds, and all arrangements have been put in place. Shabadi said a plan has been chalked out for the next three days: A bike rally from Rajapur to the city on Thursday, an autorickshaw rally on Friday, and a car rally on Saturday.

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