There may not be an action replay in one urban constituency in this district, Narasimharaja. Electing one Muslim family five years ago and nine times earlier it may not go for it this year.
Moving fast backward, it may opt for another Muslim candidate who was a runner-up in the previous poll. Abdul Majeed was defeated in 2013 by only 9,000 votes.
Mainly because of it, Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), which is the political wing of the Kerala-based Popular Front of India, has fielded him again.
It is not the only bad news for the Sait family which has won the seat ten times — six times by Azeez Sait and four times by his son, Tanveer. The family has hit the headlines for attack by its supporter on a media person.
Correspondent of a national English daily has filed a police complaint saying that he was manhandled by his suppoters in the city when he was collecting some information.
The family has apologised but the case has not been withdrawn. An inquiry, therefore, is being made. Further action will be taken in the light of inquiry report.
Some journalist bodies have now joined the fight.
There has been one more complaint to the police. The complainant in the second case is the Congress, the party Sait belongs to. The party has complained against the SDPI candidate, Mazeed, for pinning state chief minister Siddaramaiah picture on his lapel and allegedly telling the people that he has got his “blessings”.
Since this action can confuse Congress supporters the party has lodged a complaint against him.
The constituency has been a Congress bastion. The BJP has won it only once in 1994, that too with a small margin. The other major contestant here is JDS.
Interestingly, the Samajwadi Party, which has parted company with the Congress as well as the Bahujan Samaj Party, in Karnataka, has fielded 31 candidates in the state including one in this constituency. It is not a major force in the southern region.
It is the second party, after the BJP, which has put up a Hindu candidate in this Muslim-dominated constituency.
A member of the family, Azeez Sait, was first elected from this seat in 1967. He was re-elected in next poll. Azeez bagged the seat four more times, representing the constituency for 30 years.
His son Tanveer who is seeking re-election has been already elected four times and is sure of victory again (fifth time).
The BJP strategy this time seems to be to polarise Hindu votes. For this purpose it has put up a Hindu candidate, Sandesh Swamy. As its rivals have put up Muslim candidates, a consolidation of Hindu votes may help the party.
The Congress, for all these reasons, is having a tough time in this constituency. The going is not easy for the party in some others including Krishnaraja. Under the circumstances, it is unlikely to repeat its 2013 performance and bag eight out of eleven seats in the district.
Hindusthan Samachar/ R. Narayan/ Shri Ram Shaw
