16 of 23 chief ministers: Lingayat Vokkaliga dominance Karnataka politics; dominance of two communities state politics Lingayat community nine CMs after reorganisation 1956; Lingayat leader BS Yediyurappa first BJP CM Karnataka Vokkaliga leader HD Deve Gowda Janata Dal CM 1994 elevated to India PM June 1996; Lingayat and Vokkaliga two communities dominated Karnataka politics for decades; included in other backward class category current reservation system two communities distinctive edge state power corridors voting pattern not largely scattered like other castes; Lingayats Vokkaligas Karnataka Karnataka elections 2023 elections BS Yediyurappa HD Deve Gowda politics Other Backward Classes; latest news on news18.com; Santosh Chaubey