Former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa expressed confidence that Jagadish Shettar, who recently rejoined the BJP from the Congress, would contest and win from the Belagavi constituency in the upcoming Lok Sabha election. Yediyurappa stated that he had persuaded Shettar to contest from Belagavi, and he believed Shettar would secure victory by a significant margin.
Shettar had previously switched from the BJP to the Congress after being denied a ticket by the BJP in the May 2023 Karnataka Assembly election. In that election, he contested from the Hubballi-Dharwad constituency but was unsuccessful. Subsequently, Shettar was appointed as a Member of the Legislative Council (MLC) by the Congress. However, he resigned from the Congress in January and returned to the BJP.
As a prominent Lingayat leader, Shettar has held various ministerial positions in Karnataka. Despite his recent electoral setback, Yediyurappa believes that Shettar's leadership and popularity among voters will secure a victory for him in the Belagavi Lok Sabha constituency.
However, there are speculations within the BJP that Shettar might face challenges in securing the Belagavi seat due to his affiliation with the Banajiga Lingayat community, while the numerically significant Panchamashali sect of Lingayats remains unrepresented.
