The Narasimharaja Assembly constituency in Mysuru, which has a substantial concentration of Muslim votes, has for long remained a Congress fortress and a pocket borough of the Sait family. But, the party could face a tough challenge in the coming polls as it will have to counter not only the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), which finished second during 2013 polls, but also the Janata Dal (Secular), which has chosen to field Abdullah.
The JD(S) decision to field Mr. Abdullah by including his name in the first list of candidates announced by the party is expected to alter the caste arithmetic in the constituency and have bearing on the outcome of the polls.
It may be recalled here that late Minister Azeez Sait, father of sitting MLA and Minister for Primary and Secondary Education Tanveer Sait, had lost the elections to BJP’s Maruthi Rao Pawar narrowly during the 1994 Assembly polls when the same Mr. Abdullah contested as a Karnataka Congress Party (KCP) candidate from the constituency, albeit he finished fourth. Hence, political observers in the constituency point out that the going could turn tough for Mr. Tanveer Sait in the coming polls as the Congress, JD(S) and SDPI candidates will all be vying for the same Muslim votes and thereby dividing them.
SDPI candidate Abdul Majeed, who polled 29,667 votes during the 2013 Assembly polls and finished second against Tanveer Sait’s 38,037 votes, is making a determined bid to win this time.
Former Mayor R. Lingappa of the JD(S) said the party, by fielding Mr. Abdullah, hopes to exploit the alienation among a section of the voters, particularly Muslims, who are against the incumbent MLA Tanveer Sait. Besides, the party has its own support base in the constituency.
Meanwhile, apart from Mr. Sait, even former Mayor Ayub Khan has also staked a claim for the Congress ticket by meeting party observers who were in Mysuru recently. “If I am fielded, I can consolidate the Congress party’s support base including Muslims in favour of the party,” said Mr. Ayub Khan adding that the voters of the constituency are yearning for a new face.
Will the division of secular votes between Congress and JD(S) help the BJP repeat its 1994 performance by winning the seat? Though BJP is yet to finalise its candidate, party sources said Mr. Pawar and corporator B.M. Nataraj are strong aspirants for the ticket.
But, Mysuru City Congress Committee president R. Murthy said the Congress had won the 2013 polls mostly from the support of non-Muslim in the constituency. “This time, we will attract more votes from the Muslim community on the strength of programmes offered by the CM,” he said.
