NDTV Public Opinion: Which Way Do Vokkaligas And Lingayats Lean | Read

The two dominant castes of Karnataka -- Vokkaligas and Lingayats -- are on opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to party preferences, NDTV's new opinion poll in partnership with Lokniti-Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) has found. The survey of 2,143 randomly selected voters from across 21 randomly selected assembly constituencies found that Vokkaligas appear to be divided mainly between the Congress and HD Kumaraswamy's Janata Dal Secular or JD(S). Among them, 34 per cent have said they supported the Congress and 36 per cent were in favour of the JD(S). A marginal section had voted for the BJP, which won only 15 of the 58 seats where the Vokkaligas influence the outcome. The Lingayats still appear to be with the BJP, with 67 per cent intending to vote for it. A majority of the Muslim vote (59%) is likely to stay with the Congress.