Mangaluru: With the 2019 general elections fast approaching and discussions on possible candidates having started in political circles, Muslim organisations have demanded that the Congress party field a Muslim candidate from Dakshina Kannada Lok Sabha constituency.
After having a meeting on the issue on October 24 which was attended by various senior Muslim leaders including former Minority Commission chairman K.S. Mohammed Masood, former Mayor of Mangaluru K Ashraf and others, a letter on the decision taken in the meeting has been rushed to Congress leaders."We have sent a letter to Sonia Gandhiji, Rahul Gandhiji and Karnataka incharge and party general secretary K.C. Venugopal. We will personally meet Siddaramaiah, the KPCC president, Dakshina Kannada incharge Minister U.T. Khader and Zameer Ahmed Khan," K.K. Ashraf who is the chief of Muslim Sanghatanegala Okkuta told Deccan Chronicle.
"After Kalaburagi, DK is the second constituency with the highest number of Muslims. But Muslims never got a change to contest the Parliament election. Congress leader Janardhan Poojary lost five times and Veerappa Moily seven times. Muslims are in large numbers in the constituency. This time we want the party to field a Muslim," he said.
Though the Congress has fielded two MLA candidates from DK district several times, it has not fielded a Muslim candidate for the Parliament election. The meeting of Muslim leaders therefore decided to form a committee that will meet prominent leaders of the Congress to submit a representation and convince them to field a Muslim.
