BENGALURU: The JDS appears to have its election strategy drawn up: by picking Muslim candidates for the Hanagal and Sindagi assembly bypolls, the party is looking to capture the minority vote bank which was traditionally with the Congress.
It is also trying to reclaim its image of a secular party. This could be a bid to make amends with a community which was getting wary of the party, which of late has been accused of a decided tilt towards the BJP. Realising this could endanger its Muslim vote, the party appears to have adopted a correction course. This was also borne out by former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy’s twitter attack on the RSS — by walking the tightrope, he is keeping everyone guessing.
The recent seven-day workshop of the JDS showcased its inclusiveness, as separate meetings of minorities, backward classes and SC community gave an impetus to its claim of a secular party. While the JDS is overtly appeasing Muslims, it is not likely to win the October 30 bypolls but appears ready to take this risk. The party announced two little-known candidates — Naziya Shakeel Ahmed Angadi for Sindagi and Niyaz Sheik for Hanagal — with an eye on the 35,000-plus Muslim votes.
With this indirect challenge to ‘secular’ arch-rival Congress, the party will also play spoiler, as it did in the Basavakalyan bypoll in May 2021. By giving the ticket to Syed Yasrab Ali Quadri, who was earlier with the Congress, the party managed to garner over 11,000 votes, eventually helping the BJP win.
Interestingly, the ‘secular’ arch-rivals tasted success when the JDS-Congress alliance government led by Kumaraswamy won the November 2018 LS bypolls, with Congress’ V S Ugrappa winning Ballari and JDS’ L R Shivarame Gowda taking Mandya. The alliance worked in the Assembly bypolls too, with Anitha Kumaraswamy winning Ramanagara, and Anand Nyamagouda retaining Jamakhandi for the Congress. This bonhomie was short-lived after the collapse of the alliance government.
Small parties say no to bypolls
The Aam Aadmi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) which contested the recent city corporation polls in Belagavi, Kalaburagi and Hubballi-Dharwad, are not contesting the bypolls. “It’s a prestige issue for the BJP and Congress, and they will pump in huge money. We don’t want to be pawns in their game,” remarked BSP state president Dr Krishnamurthy.