Congress trying to snatch Belgaum from BJP

Belgaum: Once considered a bastion of the BJP, Belgaum is now showing signs of becoming a Congress stronghold. The BJP's setbacks in the 2023 assembly elections were significant, largely attributed to sidelining local leaders in favour of outsiders.

Out of the 18 constituencies in the district, the BJP could only secure victory in seven, losing ground even in the MLC seats where it lost three. This time BJP fielded former chief minister Jagadish Shettar while Congress fielded Mrinal Hebbalkar.

Prior to the 2023 assembly polls, the BJP boasted 13 MLAs and three MLCs from Belgaum. However, political analysts argue that the party's failure to reclaim its lost territory in this border district was due to its poor candidate selection strategy. This pattern seems to be continuing into the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

In a surprising move, the BJP has nominated former Chief Minister Jagdish Shettar for the Belgaum Lok Sabha seat, replacing incumbent MP Mangala Angadi. Shettar, who switched from the BJP to the Congress before the 2023 assembly elections and later rejoined the BJP in January, hails from Dharwad district. This move has sparked debate among locals about whether the BJP can regain its footing in Belgaum.

The BJP's dominance in Belgaum began in 2019 when three Congress MLAs, including former minister Ramesh Jarakiholi, crossed over to the saffron party. This defection played a pivotal role in toppling the JDS-Congress coalition government, paving the way for BS Yeddyurappa to assume the Chief Minister's office. However, discontent brewed within the BJP ranks as the leadership favored outsiders over loyal party members, a trend that continued into the 2023 assembly elections.

Key BJP leaders like Chikka Revanna, Mahadevappa Yadwad, Lakshmana Savadi, Raju Kage, Sanjay Patil, and Maruthi Ashtagi were overlooked for party tickets in their respective constituencies. This led to several leaders, including Savadi, defecting to the Congress. Additionally, senior BJP figure and former Rajya Sabha member Prabhakar Kore was not renominated due to age constraints.

The state BJP's decision to sideline local leaders in favour of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's popularity has left the party's Belgaum workers disheartened. As the Lok Sabha elections on May 7 draws near, all eyes are on Belgaum to see if the BJP's political gamble pays off and it manages to reclaim its former stronghold.

Winners and losers

From 1957 to 2019, Congress has won 11 times, Janata Dal once and BJP 6 times.

Among the 11 victories of the Congress party, AK Kotrashetty, who had contested in 1971 from the Jagjivan Ram group's Indian National Congress party, won.

From 1980 to 1991, S.B. Sidnal had won 4 consecutive times from Congress. Suresh Angadi had equalled Sidnal's record by winning the Congress stronghold four times in a row since 2004.

After the untimely death of Suresh Angadi, his wife Mangala Angadi won the by-election and the BJP continued its dominance in the constituency.

Although the constituency is dominated by Lingayats, BN Datar is from the Brahmin community, Amarasimha Patil from the Kuruba community once, and NM Nabisaba from the Muslim community were elected to the Lok Sabha twice. Lingayat community candidates have won 14 times out of total 18 elections.