BELAGAVI, 7 JULY

Former BJP legislator Mahesh Kumatolli has urged his party leadership to bring back expelled Vijayapura MLA Basangouda Patil Yatnal to help ensure the party’s victory in the 2028 elections.

A strong supporter of Gokak BJP MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi, Kumatolli said in Belagavi on Monday that Yatnal belongs to the Lingayat community that has a strong hold on North Karnataka region. He said the community, which strongly supported the party in the last election, may drift away unless Yatnal is reinstated.

Kumatolli said the Lingayat community, which has the highest votes and decision-making power in the northern part of the state, listens to Yatnal.

Most of the seats the BJP has won in the region were from Panchamsali. Yatnal's recent remarks in favour of Hindutva have increased his supporters in Belagavi, Dharwad, Bagalkot, Vijaypura, Gadag in Kittur Karnataka region and also Koppal, Yadagiri districts in Kalyan Karnataka part, Kumatolli said.

Meanwhile, political observers are of the opinion that what Kumatolli said was the voice of Jarkiholi, who said on several occasions that he and some other seniors in the BJP could never accept Vijayendra as their leader.  He said they backed Yatnal, who was expelled from the party for expressing disappointment with Vijayendra.