The rise of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) in Karnataka has put political parties, in particular the Congress, outside their comfort zones.
Within four years, the SDPI, widely regarded as an instrument for Popular Front of India (PFI)’s consolidation of political power, has grown to the extent of being accepted as the only alternative to Congress.
SDPI’s enormous influence on the Muslims was demonstrated when a former mayor of Mangalore City Corporation, Gulzar Bhanu, was defeated by a commoner, Ayaz, contesting from SDPI in the elections held recently.
Setting its sights high this time, SDPI has entered into a pre-poll alliance with Mayawati’s BSP and has fielded 24 candidates. As Dakshina Kannada has the maximum number of Muslim voters in the state, after Bidar, SDPI fielded candidates in all Assembly constituencies barring Beltangady.
The presence of SDPI candidates has given Congress the jitters. Obsessed with wooing the Muslim vote-bank, Congress is a bundle of nerves and continues to pin hopes that SDPI will fail in having any positive influence on Muslim voters. “SDPI has not grown to the level of challenging Congress,” former union minister B Janardhan Poojary says.
He says SDPI will not create any impact as voters support Congress. Well-known social scientist and Jain University Pro Vice-Chancellor Sandeep Shastri says that in a neck-to-neck contest between BJP and Congress, the impact of fringe groups would be minimal.
Mahammed Akram, in-charge of SDPI’s media relations, says SDPI does not believe in vote-bank politics. Akram, contesting from Mangalore Assembly constituency, says the party was built to fulfil the aspirations of communities at a disadvantage. He questions the secular credentials of political parties targeting SDPI. If Congress and JD(S) are secular parties, why did 20 of their MLAs cross over to the BJP during “Operation Kamala”, he asks.
