Karnataka Elections: After BJP Snub, Lingayat Heavyweight Jagadish Shettar Loses

BJP had snubbed Shettar for fellow Lingayat leader Mahesh Tenginkai, who has won the contest by 34,289 votes.

A former Bharatiya Janata Party leader, Shettar resigned from the party in April after being denied a ticket to contest the assembly election and subsequently joined the INC.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

Former Karnataka Chief Minister and Indian National Congress (INC) leader Jagdish Shettar lost from the Hubbali-Dharwad Central seat to the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Mahesh Tenginkai, during the 2023 Karnataka Assembly election on Saturday, 13 May, by a margin of 34,289 votes.

A former Bharatiya Janata Party leader, Shettar resigned from the party in April after being denied a ticket to contest the assembly election and subsequently joined the INC.

During the 2018 Assembly elections, then-BJP candidate defeated Congress' Dr Mahesh Nalwad from the Hubbali-Dharwad Central constituency with a margin of 21,306 votes. While Jagadish Shettar garnered a collective 75,794 votes, Nalwad managed 54,488 votes and the JD(S)'s Rajanna M Koravi bagged the third place with 10,754 votes.

During the 2023 polls, the BJP snubbed Shettar to nominate fellow Lingayat leader Mahesh Tenginkai, the party's state general secretary, in a reported attempt to appeal to younger generations.

The election results saw Tenginkai garner 94,408 votes and 59.27 percent of the vote share, winning the Hubbali-Dharwad Central seat, while Shettar clocked in second with 60,355 votes and 37.89 percent of the votes.

More About Jagadish Shettar & the Constituency

A Lingayat heavyweight in Karnataka, the six-time MLA served as the 15th chief minister from 2012 to 2013. When the Siddaramaiah-led government came to power, he served as the Opposition leader in the Legislative Assembly from 2014 to 2018. Shettar also held various ministerial portfolios in BS Yediyurappa's 2019 cabinet and is a former speaker of the Karnataka Assembly.

“I am totally disappointed. I have worked for the party for more than 30 years and have built it. They could have intimated to me two or three months ago, and I would have accepted it. But with a few days before filing the nominations, I was intimated not to contest. I have already started campaigning in the constituency."

Jagadish Shettar told the media after his resignation.

In 2018, the Hubli-Dharwad Central constituency had 2,42,736 electors, divided into 1,21,731 males, 1,20,972 females and 33 transgender voters.

The Hubli-Dharwad Central constituency is situated in the Dharwad district of Karnataka. It is one among the 224 constituencies in the state and is a part of the Hubli-Dharwad Lok Sabha constituency.

It encompasses the prominent cities of Hubli and Dharwad. Known for its vibrant cultural heritage, Hubli-Dharwad Central constituency is adorned with numerous historical monuments and temples that showcase its rich history and traditions.

2018 Karnataka Assembly Elections

After the 2018 polls, JD(S) and Congress formed a coalition government with HD Kumaraswamy as the Chief Minister.

After the 2018 Assembly Elections, the Congress and JD(S) formed a coalition government with HD Kumaraswamy leading the pack as the Chief Minister. However, the government collapsed in 2019 after 13 Congress and JD(S) MLAs resigned.

The BJP subsequently formed a government with B S Yediyurappa becoming the Chief Minister.

In 2021, the BSY resigned from the CM's post and Basavaraj Bommai subsequently became the CM.