Humaima, daughter of Pulikeshinagar Congress candidate A.R. Zakir, takes a selfie after her father was declared winner in the BBMP elections in Bengaluru on Tuesday (Photo: R. Samuel)
Bengaluru: Smaller parties like the Janata Dal(Secular), Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) ensured that the Congress lost in at least 60 wards, where the Congress could have improved its vote share or won at least 20 more seats.
A senior Congress leader told Deccan Chronicle that the JD(S) hit them the hardest and deprived them of victory in at least 25 wards, where it fought a hard battle with the Congress candidates. “Forty-six Muslims from all parties had contested the elections. In more than 25 of these wards, the Janata Dal(Secular) gave us a run for our money.
“The Hyderabad-based AIMIM could not do much damage, but it definitely succeeded in delivering its intended message that the party cannot be ignored in the long run. AIMIM candidates succeeded in taking away 500 to 1,500 votes wherever they contested. The SDPI, another party that was eyeing the Muslim vote bank, succeeded in winning a seat from the BTM Layout constituency and proving that it was a bigger than other smaller parties,” the source said.
The AIADMK and DMK, who targeted Tamil speaking voters, too ate into Congress votes. The Bahujan Samaj Party too fits into a similar category, as its candidates succeeded in taking away Dalit votes from slums,” the source said.
