AIMIM eyes Bengaluru city for expansion, to field 'independent' candidates for BBMP polls

Bengaluru: With the entry of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) into the state’s political mix, is Chief Minister Siddaramaiah confident he will have as much success in the forthcoming BBMP polls - and the 2018 Assembly polls - as he did in the recently concluded Gram Panchayat (GP) polls?

The AIMIM’s entry could eat into the Congress party’s core minority vote. And if the results of the recently concluded GP polls are mirrored in the BBMP elections, the Social Democratic Party of India, (SDPI) which secured 45 seats out of 272 contested in Dakshina Kannada district alone and stood in second place in several other panchayats, could pose the other danger.

The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) who recently appointed their party spokesperson, is likely to enter the fray and field "independent" candidates for polls to the BBMP wards, AIMIM president and Member of Parliament Asaduddin Owaisi said at a convention in Mysuru.

"Both, the SDPI and MIM claim the support of the backward and minority communities. Between them they will split the minority vote in the City, which is around 16 to 17 per cent. In some pockets like Shivajinagar, minorities constitute between 25 and 30 per cent of the votes. Even if AIMIM does not win a single seat this time; their entry in the BBMP polls will make a difference in the City's electoral history and change the demography of the Muslim votes. It will not only dent the Congress vote bank but will also adversely impact the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal (Secular) in the all important Municipal elections," said an official source.

The fact that the Hyderabad-based AIMIM party is trying to make inroads in Karnataka with frequent meetings and conventions in Kalaburagi and Bidar is well known and after their performance in the elections to the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation polls, Mr. Owaisi has vowed to spread the party presence outside Telangana.