Bangalore: Former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa announced on Friday that Jagadish Shettar, who recently rejoined the BJP from the Congress, will be contesting from Belagavi in the upcoming Lok Sabha election. Yediyurappa stated that Shettar agreed to contest from Belagavi after he convinced him, expressing confidence in Shettar's ability to win by a significant margin.

Shettar had previously departed from the BJP and joined the Congress after being denied a ticket by the saffron party in the May 2023 Karnataka Assembly election. The Congress fielded him from the Hubballi-Dharwad constituency, but Shettar faced defeat. Following his loss in the Assembly elections, Shettar was appointed as an MLC by the Congress. However, in January, he resigned from the Congress and rejoined the BJP.

As a senior Lingayat leader who has held various portfolios in Karnataka, Shettar's return to the BJP holds significance. The BJP's initial list of 20 Lok Sabha poll candidates from Karnataka reflects a significant shift, with nine sitting MPs, including former state unit president Nalin Kumar Kateel and Pratap Simha, being dropped. Candidates for eight seats are yet to be announced.

Among the seats heavily influenced by Lingayats are Hubballi-Dharwad (H-D), Haveri, and Belgaum. While Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi has been fielded from Hubballi-Dharwad, former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has been nominated from Haveri. However, party insiders suggest that Shettar's chances of securing Belgaum are slim, given that he belongs to the Banajiga Lingayat community, while the numerically strong Panchamashali sect of Lingayats is yet to be accommodated.

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