V Somanna: BJP's Lingayat Strongman To Contest From Tumkur (image:twitter.com/VSOMANNA_BJP)V Somanna is a senior BJP leader and former minister. His contest from Karnataka’s Tumkur Lok seat in the upcoming elections was not devoid of criticism. Former minister JC Madhuswamy, who is an aspirant to the seat, called Somanna an outsider, and even BJP workers protested against him in several parts of the constituency, including Chikkanayakanahalli and Tiptur. The protesters wanted the candidature of Madhusawamy in Tumkur.
Somanna started his political career as a corporator in 1983 and secured his first term as a legislator in 1994 on a Janata Dal ticket. He then shifted his allegiance to Congress and held ministerial positions. In 1999, Somanna contested and won the elections as an independent candidate and then got elected as a Congress candidate. In 1983, he switched to the BJP and has been with the party since then. Until 2018, he served as a member of the Karnataka Legislative Council. In the previous Karnataka government, he served as a cabinet minister and handled departments including horticulture, sericulture, housing, infrastructure, and development.
In 2018–2023, he represented the Govindaraja Nagar assembly constituency in Bengaluru as a MLA. However, in the 2023 Karnataka assembly elections, though Somanna contested from the Varuna and Chamarajanagar assembly segments and lost both seats.
Somanna belongs to the Veerashaiva Lingayat community. Known as an astute politician, Somanna’s efforts in expanding and strengthening the party base in the BJP are widely regarded. He held several significant positions in the party and government over the course of years. Somanna’s strong leadership abilities, political wisdom, and ability to connect with people are also lauded. Besides, V Somanna holds good terms with most of the religious heads in the region.