Mangaluru: The Social Democratic Federation of India (SDPI), which has done well in gram panchayat and urban local body (ULB) elections, is now hoping to repeat its performance in the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) polls.
The outfit, which had only one corporator in the last MCC council, believes it will have more this time around based on its strategy for the poll. Be it the panchayat, ULB assembly or Lok Sabha elections, the SDPI has fielded candidates in places where it has a strong presence and the strategy has paid off. Not surprisingly, it is following the same tactic in the MCC election and is contesting from only six of the 60 wards, where it has adequate support. The party, which has increased its support base over the years along the coast, is now being seen as a threat by even Congress leaders in some wards which they consider their strongholds.
Their concern is not without reason as the SDPI had delivered a major blow to the Congress in the 2013 MCC election, when its candidate, Aziz, defeated its sitting corporator and mayor Gulzar Banu. “We may suffer in some of the wards where the SDPI has fielded its candidates these elections as they have a good number of minority voters. Its presence is really concerning as it is contesting from six wards where minorities are a deciding factor,” said a former standing committee member.
