The Congress government’s decision to recommend the long-pending demand from Lingayat leaders to give them religious minority status may create a problem for the party in the May 12 polls.The decision has not gone down well with large sections of Lingayats. The BJP has also been successful in spreading the narrative that this move divides Hindus.Further, the work of Veerashaiva pontiffs who are going to villages and taking oaths from their followers that they will not vote for the Congress, has the ruling party’s Lingayat leaders and MLAs worried. Veerashaivas, who were also part of the Lingayats, do not get to enjoy minority status, resulting in this animosity.“Our party and CM Siddaramaiah have not given any kind of counter narrative to help us convince voters that this move is for their good. And Lingayat leaders and pontiffs who came to us with their demand are not doing much to counter BJP,” a Congress office-bearer who is working in the Lingayat-dominant areas in North Karnataka told ET.Some party leaders have written to Congress president Rahul Gandhi asking him to intervene and ask Siddaramaiah to make a statement on how the religious minority status will benefit Lingayats. “If something is not done quickly, we will have serious problems in at least 50 seats,” the office-bearer quoted above, said.Many Lingayat voters in villages of North and central Karnataka have expressed dismay and anger over “what the Congress government had done.” “Siddaramaiah is anti-Lingayat, he is trying to divide society through all his efforts. Our children don’t get benefits in fees, scholarships, but every other child gets these. This latest move is another such,” said villager Shankaramma in Banjagondanahalli in Holalkere assembly segment, a reserved constituency.Villagers MS Kanavi and LR Patil in Gojanur in Shirahatti assembly segment of Gadag district, another reserved constituency, said the decision to give minority religion status to Lingayats but not to Veerashaivas, who were considered the same community till now, was “nothing short of poison spread by Siddaramaiah.”Congress workers in these villages are keeping a low profile, not knowing how to counter these allegations.“Siddaramaiah has done such good work for all and people were saying that, till he did this Lingayat move. The community members in our villages are angry and we fear it will impact everything,” Congress supporter Hussain said at Magadi village in Shirahatti assembly segment.In the absence of a clear political narrative, some countering is happening at the individual level. SM Kharoshi, a Lingayat villager in Chikkodi assembly segment, told ET: “I think the move is very good as it will help our Lingayat children and young people get education and loans for businesses and startups. But no one seems to really know what the move means.”