Low turnout in Hebbal by-poll: Who'll benefit?

Bengaluru: The fiercely contested Hebbal by-poll that witnessed personality-centric fight ended with only 46 per cent voters turning up to cast their franchise on Saturday. This is a major dip compared to 56.89 per cent voting in 2013.

The Congress leaders seemed a little apprehensive about the result as the poll percentage did not go up on the expected lines in the party’s stronghold. The BJP, meanwhile, was upbeat. The party leaders after analysing ward-wise voting claimed that they would retain the seat.

But, the Congress camp, led by Energy Minister D.K. Shivakumar – who was the chief strategist for the constituency by-poll, claimed that the party candidate, Abdul Rahaman Sharief, would certainly win the poll. They claimed that the party had focused on booths where the party was weak and that the victory was certain.

The sharp dip in voter turnout has left Congress leaders worried in  Hebbal, and BJP leaders upbeat about retaining the seat.

A senior Congress leader admitted  it was worrying for the party that the voting percentage in three wards, Manorayana Palya and V. Nagenahalli,   -where the party had won the BBMP polls-  and J. C.  Nagar ward, a predominantly Muslim locality, had not crossed  50 per cent.  

Even the Radkarishna Nagara and Hebbala wards represented by  JD(S) saw only a 36.61% and 46.44% turnout respectively, he noted. “It appears only non-minorities have come forward to vote in these wards,”  the leader noted.

Energy Minister D.K. Shivakumar was confident of scraping through.
 All four wards represented by the BJP,  Sanjayanagar, Ganaganagar, Gangenahalli and  J. C. Nagara have consistently maintained above 42 per cent  votes, which is also an indication that Hindus and educated voters have come out in large numbers to vote in favour of the saffron party.

Bharatiya Janata Party insiders said the party’s chances were good at as it had  done well in its core areas, and even wards like Radhakrishna Nagar, dominated by the Vokkaligas community, had voted for it.

“Except in Manorayana Palya ward represented by the Congress corporator, where our party's vote share has come down by nearly 7,000 votes, we have improved our vote share by at least 1000  to 1500 votes,” said a BJP leader.

Meanwhile, a senior leader of the JD(S) admitted that party candidate, Ismail Sharief aka Nana, may not  draw as many votes as its candidate in 2013. “But he will get no less than 5000 to 7,000 votes, which might  help the BJP defeat the Congress,” he added.