Hubbali, May 13 (IANS): Even as Jagadish Shettar, the towering leader of the Lingayat community from North Karnataka, is trailing in his home constituency of Hubbali-Central Dharwad, the BJP is losing its stronghold of North Karnataka due to jumping of the fence by its top leaders to Congress.

Shettar is a former Chief Minister of Karnataka and six-term MLA from Hubbali-Central Dharwad constituency.

Hubbali was the first seat for the Jana Sangh in South India, with Jagadish Shettar's uncle, Sadashiva Shettar winning the seat for the first time in 1968.

Jagadish Shettar's father Shivappa Shettar who was the Mayor of Hubbali was the first Mayor for the Jana Sangh in South India.

Hubbali-Central Dharwad is a strong BJP, RSS fiefdom and it is difficult to unsettle the party in this area.

In the Athani constituency in Belagavi district, former Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka Laxman Savudi is leading.

Savudi had quit the BJP and joined the Congress after the saffron party denied him a seat.

In many other seats of Belagavi, Uttar Kannada, Gadag, Haveri, Bagalkot, Vijayapura, Dharwad the Shettar effect seems to have worked for the Congress and in many of these seats the BJP was trailing Congress.