BJP president Amit Shah will visit poll-bound stae Karnataka for two days starting Monday as the party seeks to win back the Lingayat vote bank. Shah will pay a visit to mutts associated with the Lingayat and Dalit communities during his visit.

"We think our party president will talk to the mutt heads and convince them to continue supporting us and not the Congress," a BJP office-bearer in central Karnataka told The Economic Times on the condition of anonymity.

He added, "Shaji’s visit could also be a move to take suggestions from the pontiffs on whether the Centre should accept the Karnataka government’s recommendation, reject it or just put it on the backburner."

Following the Siddaramaiah government's decision to give minority religion status to Lingayats, who have almost welcomed the move, Shah's visits to their blessed places and meeting gurus, is seen as part of his efforts to ensure that the community, who is the largest in the state, continues to support the BJP. The Congress government's decision is aimed at hollowing the vote bank of the BJP. Party has declared BS Yeddyurappa its chief ministerial candidate.

Shah will walk off Siddaganga mutt on Monday and seek the blessings of its seer, the statement said. He will on Tuesday trip Madara Chennaiah mutt, which has been traditionally associated with Dalits. He will also tour the Bekkinkal, Sirgere and Muruga mutts among others during his visit to the state's central region. He will end his expedition with a rally aimed at the ST community in Challakere in Chitradurga.

.Besides visiting a number of mutts associated with various communities, including Lingayats and Dalits, Shah will also address farmers' and traders' rally. He will take out a road show and attend party events in the poll-bound state, a BJP statement said.

The BJP is making an all-out effort to overthrow the Congress from the only big state where the grand old party is in power.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi has also been frequenting the state and visited holy places linked to different religions and castes for bagging of votes.