BJP’s street-fighters in coastal Karnataka want a share in power

On April 15, before he embarked on an election roadshow in Mangaluru, Karnataka, Prime Minister Narendra Modi garlanded the statue of Narayana Guru. The spiritual leader from Kerala, who challenged the caste system in the early 1900s, is revered by the Billavas, the largest community in the Dakshina Kannada constituency of which Mangaluru is a part.

Seen to be steadfast supporters of the Sangh Parivar, the Billavas have been instrumental in securing eight consecutive victories for the Bharatiya Janata Party in Lok Sabha elections held in Dakshina Kannada since 1991.

This time, however, the BJP is facing anger from the community over lack of political representation – not once has the party fielded a Billava candidate from Dakshina Kannada. The party has replaced Nalin Kumar Kateel, a former state president who won the 2019 election with a margin of 2.74 lakh votes, with Brijesh Chowta. Both Kateel and Chowta hail from the Bunt community, an influential caste group in the region.

While Billava community leaders had backed Kateel in the 2019 election, many of them have withheld support this time. Seizing the opportunity, the Congress has nominated Padmaraj R Poojary, a Billava, to contest against Chowta.

Endorsing Poojary, Sathyajith Surathkal, who heads a Billava community organisation called...

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