"Double engine govt will be thrown out", Congress leader MB Patil ahead of Karnataka polls

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], May 1 : With May 10 Assembly elections round the corner, Karnataka Congress leader MB Patil on Monday said that the double engine government will be thrown out and expressed hope that the Lingayat community will be voting for the former when the elections are held in the southern state.

"The Lingayat community is coming back to Congress. Double-engine govt will be thrown out," he said.

Patil said that BJP veteran Yediyurappa is in desperation. "They are making him speak against Laxman Savadi and Jagdish Shettar and saying they betrayed and backstabbed BJP".

Shettar, a former chief minister, and Savadi, who formerly served as the deputy CM, belong to the Lingayat community which is believed to hold sway over electoral outcomes in the state.

On April 27, hitting out at both the BJP deserters, Yediyurappa said, "I call on the people not to cast a single vote for Laxman Savadi and Jagdish Shettar, as they betrayed the BJP despite being entrusted with key portfolios in the government."

"We know why is he speaking. We know your (Yediyurappa) son's future is at stake," Patil added.

"What pressure Savadi was in. We know what situation you are in at present. They made you do dirty work and form government and then abandoned you," Patil said.

The Lingayat votes have traditionally been a key determinant of electoral outcomes in the state. The community has traditionally sided with the BJP and several Lingayat-dominated regions of the state are considered to be saffron strongholds.

Lingayats are largely concentrated in north Karnataka, in the districts of Belagavi, Dharwad, and Gadag. They also have a considerable presence in Bagalkot, Bijapur, Gulbarga, Bidar and Raichur.

They also inhabit vast swathes of South Karnataka, especially Bangalore, Mysore and Mandya, in big numbers.

The 224-seat Assembly polls are slated to take place in a single phase on May 10 and results will be declared on May 13.