In a fresh setback for the BJP in the Karnataka assembly polls, the prominent Lingayat forum in the state has publicly come out to support the Congress party in the polls, which will take place on Wednesday - May 10. While the results for the single-phased poll will be declared on May 13, it's quite obvious that the support from the Lingayat community would be a gamechanger. 

Lingayat has been one of the potent communities in Karnataka and holds to be a stronghold for BJP in the polls. The votes from the Lingayat community have often clenched towards the saffron camp and this time, there would be huge shift as a key faction in the community has announced that it would support the Congress party in the polls. The development has come days after a handful of BJP leaders, who belong to the Lingayat community, have quit the party and joined the Congress. 

The announcement from the Lingayat forum has come as a major boost to the Congress party, which vies to oust the BJP regime from the power. According to ANI, the Karnataka Veerashaiva Lingayat forum has issued an official letter of support to the Congress and has asked the other community members to support the Congress. 

It has been reported that Lingayats have influence in about hundred constituencies in the northern districts of Karnataka and it would probably be the first time that the Lingayat community is witnessing a divide within its faction. While several Lingayat seers have earlier pledged their support to the BJP, the change in the trend was caused by the Lingayat-backed BJP leaders, who quit the party and joined Congress. 

On Friday, former Karnataka Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar, who was with BJP and recently joined Congress, met with seers of the Lingayat community in Hubballi and sought their support to the Congress party. Shettar is a prominent Lingayat leader and quit the BJP after the party refused a ticket to him to contest in the polls. Now, Shettar is playing a crucial role in shifting the trend towards the Congress party.

Recently, veteran Congress leader Sonia Gandhi came to Karnataka to take part in what has become her first political rally in four years. Shettar was seen sitting next to Sonia Gandhi in an apparent display that the Congress was trying to reap the votes from Lingayat communities through Shetter and other leaders in the community who dissent against BJP. 

The development has shown that the Congress is crucially having a breakthrough in securing the votes from the prominent community. Along with Shettar, other top Lingayat leaders including former deputy Chief Minister Laxman Savadi, Nehru Olekar, and NY Gopalakrishna, who were with the BJP have recently joined the Congress party.