MYSURU: Elections to Narasimharaja constituency have become more prestigious than ever, as the stage is set for a multi-cornered contest between the Indian National Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party, Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) and Janata Dal Secular (JDS). Though Narasimharaja constituency is considered a Congress stronghold, with the party winning 13 of 16 elections in the past, the BJP won both Krishnaraja and Chamaraja constituencies, and wants to sweep all three seats, in a repeat of the 1994 show.
BJP has started groundwork, and is keen on consolidating Hindu votes, with the hope that the Congress would be in trouble with too many Muslim candidates -- from SDPI, Nationalist Congress Party and JDS -- among 17 contestants in the fray. It is also trying its best to polarise Hindu voters, and feels that anti-incumbency against five-time MLA Tanveer Sait may also help. Many aspirants for the Congress ticket are also upset that the high command has again warmed up to the Sait family, instead of trying new faces.
However, Congress candidate Tanveer Sait, a master in handling elections, has maintained a low profile after a murderous attack on him at a function. He is depending on the large Muslim vote bank of 1.25 lakh, among 2.88 lakh voters, besides his bond with the Hindu population.
Tanveer, whose father Azeez Sait had won 11 elections from Narasimharaja, enjoys the party legacy and has a strong hold on many pockets. Sait, who is yet to fully recover from health issues, had announced that he would not contest the assembly election. However, the party high command and other senior leaders compelled him to contest, much against the family’s wishes.
But SDPI state president Abdul Majeed, who finished second in the 2018 election, has turned into a nightmare for Sait, further strengthening his hold on Muslim voters. He has taken up issues like development, cut in grants to minorities, withdrawal of quota and socio-economic programmes for Muslims and the poor.
The division of Muslim votes between NCP’s Rehana Banu and other independents may cut into Congress votes, and give an edge to the BJP, that has reached out to Dalits, Nayakas and microscopic backward communities who were traditionally with Congress.
To counter the SDPI and JDS, former JDS leader Azeezulla (Abdulla) who had contested the previous election, joined the Congress in protest against JDS fielding Tanveer Sait’s close associate Abdul Khadal, turning it into a fight between master and student. The JDS is also banking on the charisma of state JDS president C M Ibrahim and former CM H D Kumaraswamy to cut into Vokkaliga votes.
The Aam Aadmi Party has fielded Dharmashree, and the party has started spade work, sticking to a door-to-door campaign to highlight the government’s failures and its own promises. The Congress, playing the unity card, is appealing to voters not to experiment with other parties or take chances, as they may lose the Muslim constituency.
The party is also reaching out to traditional voters and is confident of support from Dalits and Kurubas, besides the anti-incumbency wave against the BJP. The government’s decision to cut into social sector programmes of Muslims and withdraw 4 per cent reservation, has turned into a poll issue.