“This doesn’t mean we don’t respect Ananth Kumar,” says one enthusiastic BSY supporter in the BJP. “He maintains a strong organisation. But Modi is interested in a strong organisation as well as in somebody who can bring in votes.” He’s alluding to the support BSY still has in his majority caste group, the Lingayats. The assembly polls saw a clear three-way split among the community votes, disillusioned as it was by the BJP’s dismal performance and the corruption charges against BSY. Even the Congress got a substantial section of the Lingayat votes (36 per cent, if one post-poll survey is to be believed). “BSY’s return will certainly be a plus factor with the Lingayat community,” says a senior party leader from the community who, like the others, did not want to be named. The only leader who has gone on record to openly canvass support for BSY is the man who lost his chief ministership because of him, Sadananda Gowda. “If we join together, party workers will be enthused and there will be some movement among the voters as well. I’m prepared to be quoted on this,” he says. This does not mean the pattern of voting in the Lok Sabha elections will be the same as in the assembly poll. (In the last LS elections, the BJP won 18, Congress 7 and JD(S) 3 seats). As any observer of Karnataka politics will tell you, votes won in assembly elections will not be reflected in the LS polls.