In Karnataka, BJP sure of its Hindutva strongholds, not so much its sitting MPs

With the Lok Sabha polls fast approaching, the BJP in Karnataka finds itself in a curious jam in its Hindutva stronghold constituencies in the coastal belt of the state.

Though the Modi wave — on a new high after the Ayodhya Ram Mandir consecration — is likely to catapult even an absolute novice fielded by the BJP from these seats of Dakshina Kannada, Uttara Kannada and Udupi-Chikamagalur, the party is having second thoughts about fielding its sitting MPs.

The three Lok Sabha seats, out of the total 28 in the state, have always voted strongly for the BJP. In 2019, they registered nearly 75% polling, with the BJP’s three candidates winning by the three highest victory margins in the state.

Uttara Kannada

In 2019, the BJP’s Anantkumar Hegde, a five-time MP from the seat known for his controversial remarks, won Uttar Kannada by a resounding margin of 4.79 lakh votes – the highest in the state.

The ground has shifted however. One of the young stars in the BJP pantheon at the height of the Ram Mandir movement, who first became an MP at the age of 28 in 1996, the 55-year-old has not been active in politics for the past three years, reportedly due to an unconfirmed illness.

Besides, in last year’s state elections, the Congress came out strong in the parliamentary constituency, winning five of the eight Assembly segments.

However, that Hegde is keen to return to the centre stage is evident, given how he came swinging out ahead of the Ayodhya consecration, demanding that other mosques allegedly built on temples be razed, and accused Chief Minister Siddaramaiah of “selling his mentality for minority votes”. He was subsequently booked by the police for hate speech.

But at meetings of party workers in the area, Hegde’s absence on the