Bengaluru: It’s usually the ruling party which has the upper hand in Assembly bypolls and the Congress should have gained the upper hand by now in the prestigious battle for the Hebbal seat. But a discernible polarisation on communal lines which has divided the electorate, could work to the disadvantage of Congress candidate Rehaman Sharief this time, say sources.
For the Congress, it’s a now or never battle to wrest the constituency from the BJP, which has won the seat ever since the constituency was carved out in 2008. Now that a polarisation has happened, fingers are being pointed at veteran leader C.K. Jaffer Sharief who first initiated the trend by getting the authorities of over hundred mosques write to the party top brass demanding the ticket for his grandson Rehaman.
The polarisation was further strengthened when JD(S) leader, B.Z. Zameer Ahmed Khan made a public display of his affection for Mr Jaffer Sharief and issued a statement in Urdu dailies that he would remain neutral during the polls instead of backing the JD(S) candidate. This made JD(S) supremo, H.D. Deve Gowda dub him Mir Sadiq, who had betrayed erstwhile Mysuru ruler Tipu Sultan.
Two days later, Moulvis from several parts of the city staged a dharna outside Town Hall against Mr Gowda. This development, sources say, has further deepened the communal divide. This is exactly what the BJP wanted-a Hindu-Muslim divide.
The saffron party has another advantage: The Congress and JD (S) have fielded Muslim candidates while the BJP has fielded a Vokkaliga, Y.A. Narayanswamy who may get the sympathy of a large section of Vokkaligas voters who are reportedly hurt over the protests by Moulvis against their community patriarch, Mr Deve Gowda.
Despite this, the Congress had deployed an army of ministers and legislators led by Mr Shivakumar to wrest the constituency from BJP. Stalwarts like former external affairs minister S.M. Krishna campaigned in the constituency besides Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah himself, who spent nearly five days wooing voters.
For the party old guard and loyalists, this election is important as they ensured the ticket for Rehaman Sharief in spite of the state unit recommending the name of Byrathi Suresh. A victory here would come in handy for the veterans to up the ante against Mr Siddaramaiah with whom their relations are anything but cordial. Ironically, Mr Siddaramaiah too will have to sweat it out and prevent a defeat so that he can go to town saying his government is popular among city voters.
Congress pins hope on DKS
The Congress party is now pinning hopes on Vokkaliga strongman and energy minister Mr D.K. Shivakumar who is considered to have ‘deep pockets’ and could turn the tide in favour of Rehaman Sharief with his might, strategy and resources.
