Lingayat mutt head Fakir Dingaleshwara Swami withdrew his nomination in Dharwad, impacting the political landscape. Union Minister Pralhad Joshi continues seeking election for a fifth term with strong Lingayat support.
Fakir Dingaleshwar Swami, head of a Shirahatti Lingayat mutt, filed his independent Dharwad constituency nomination, rallying local seers against union minister Pralhad Joshi, who seeks reelection from the BJP. Joshi has responded politely to Swami s harsh public comments.
Karnataka Congress President D K Shivakumar has notruled out the possibility of the party backing a prominent seer who announced he would contest Union Minister Pralhad Joshi in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. The state deputy chief minister said they are weighing options. The Veerashaiva-Lingayat seer accused Congress of neglecting Lingayats and not giving suitable positions to community leaders.
Fakir Dingaleshwara Swami contests Dharwad Lok Sabha race, opposing Joshi. Congress backs Swami against BJP. Murugha Mutt distances. Joshi led significant movement in 1990s.
Cops stop seer from obstructing rally in Gadag due to differences between the followers of Fakireshwar Sansthan Math in Shirahatti and Tontadarya Sansthan Math.