A right-wing group has urged the ruling BJP to not contest from the Karkala constituency in the upcoming assembly elections in Karnataka and urged them to support Sri Ram Sene chief Pramod Muthalik who is likely to contest as an independent candidate from the constituency.
Sri Ram Sene working president Gangadhar Kulkarni on Thursday told reporters in Dharwad that Muthalik’s ideologies are the same as that of the RSS and the BJP, and urged the saffron party not to field any candidate from Karkala. The constituency is currently represented by energy, Kannada and culture minister V Sunil Kumar in the Basavaraj Bommai-led Cabinet. He has represented thrice in the constituency and won in 2004, 2013 and 2018.
“We have decided to field Muthalik from Karkala in the upcoming Assembly elections based on the demand of Sri Ram Sene members from across our state. So, the BJP should support this. Let them field their candidates in all other constituencies of Karnataka. But it will help us if they don’t field a candidate in Karkala, for the sake of Hindutva,” Kulkari said.
When asked what the right-wing group would do if the BJP does not take its request into consideration, Kulkarni said, “If the BJP fields a candidate in Karkala, all the Hindus of our organisation from across the constituencies will act on this. BJP will have a problem if everyone decides to act against it. BJP should carefully think about this.”
Sri Ram Sene state secretary Anand Shetty Adyar said that corruption, anti-Hindu laws, and unnecessary cases against pro-Hindu leaders had upset the people of the state. “Muthalik has been working for the country and religion, sacrificing his personal and family commitments. People want to see honest leaders. If BJP fields its own candidate instead of supporting Muthalik, the Hindutva organisations will have to look into the matter seriously,” Shetty warned.
Meanwhile, responding to Sri Ram Sene, Karkala BJP leader B Maniraj Shetty said that Muthalik may not even secure 3,000 votes if he contests from Karkala as an Independent candidate. “This is just a pressure tactic by Muthalik and his team. Congress is backing his team. Muthalik’s team can be called Congress’ B Team,” he said.
Last month, Muthalik had said that he had decided to contest the upcoming Assembly polls in the state from Karkala constituency to fight against corruption and for the cause of Hindutva. “Under pressure from karyakartas, I have decided to contest as an independent candidate from the Karkala Assembly segment. Already, I have travelled across the constituency seven or eight times, and everyone is of the opinion that I should contest from here as there has been injustice to Hindus and rampant corruption,” Muthalik had said.
In November last year, Muthalik had said 25 Hinduwadis, including him, would contest the 2023 Assembly polls as independent candidates to protect Hindus, while alleging that the BJP which came to power with their support has failed to protect them and Hindutva.
Political analyst Chambi Puranik said while this is an opportunity for Muthalik to gauge his popularity, it might not translate into votes in the region. “South Canara being a highly educated electorate, and politically seasoned, they know whom to vote. At this juncture, where there is Modi, they would go with the BJP rather than an independent candidate who has no party support or bigger agenda than what a party can deliver. That way, it will be very difficult for him to win,” Puranik said.
“As an independent candidate, Muthalik’s popularity or charisma will be tested. This is an opportunity for him to gauge where he stands. Anybody can contest, but if he is supported by other fringe groups, it might nudge BJP to be more alert as it might send a wrong message that the BJP is not supported by all Hindu groups. But his winning is not the question. How the BJP will tackle the situation and make sure there is no such opposition is something we need to watch out,” Puranik added.
