JD(S) in a quandary as Zameer prefers to go neutral' in Hebbal

Bengaluru/Bidar: The sudden announcement by B.Z. Zameer Ahmed Khan, Muslim leader and Janata Dal (S) MLA from Chamarajpet that he would stay ‘neutral’ in the Hebbal by-poll and JD(S) candidate Ismail Sharief’s failure to make his presence felt in the constituency, have made JD(S) leaders anxious over the party’s prospects in the February 13 by-poll.

Mr Zameer Ahmed Khan, in advertisements issued in Urdu dailies on Sunday, said that in a constituency like Hebbal, where a particular community (read Muslims) has very high votes, multiple candidates from the same community would divide their votes. “This will benefit communal forces. I have been saying this for quite long. Due to some reason, my party also fielded a candidate belonging to the same community. This may lead to division of community votes. I will not participate in the campaign,” he said.

Though he did not say explicitly that he would campaign for Congress party candidate Rehaman Sharief, considering his proximity to veteran, Jaffer Sharief, it is clear now that he would work for Rehaman, sources said.

Meanwhile, sources said party state unit president H.D. Kumaraswamy is not happy with the candidate, Ismail Sharief. The candidate was handpicked by Mr Zameer Ahmed but was not seen campaigning since Sunday. Sources in the party suspect that Mr Zameer Ahmed might have asked Mr Ismail Sharief to go slow on campaign.

Though the JD(S) has not won this seat or polled impressive votes in the past, this election assumes significance for them in the wake of party supremo, H.D. Deve Gowda- who is cut up with Mr Jaffer Sharief- reportedly vowing to teach him a lesson in Hebbal.

Gowda’s  Bidar move irks Mahadevappa
Minister for Public Works Dr H.C. Mahadevappa on Monday made a scathing attack on the JD(S) for fielding Muslim candidates in Hebbal and Bidar constituencies in the by-elections, asserting it would not succeed in its game of ‘opportunistic politics’ to grab power.

Dr Mahadevappa, who has been put in charge of Deodurga constituency, said, “Some parties while proclaiming themselves to be champions of  secularism, want to divide  voters on caste basis and become kingmakers. The JD(S), which joined hands with a communal party like BJP in the past, has again reached  an understanding with that party in by-polls. But voters who have seen the adherence of Congress to democratic  principles will make a proper  judgment.”

Will JD(S) spoil Congress chances in battle for Bidar?
Can JD(S) candidate Mohammed Ayaz Khan upset the applecart of Congress candidate Rahim Khan in the by-election to the Bidar North seat, being held following the death of sitting MLA Gurupadappa Nagamarapalli?

This is the third by-election to the Assembly seat—the previous two were held in 1982 (following the death of Veershetty Kushnoor) and in 2009 after Mr Gurupadappa contested to the Lok Sabha.

Congress candidate Rahim Khan, who lost by a narrow margin of around 2,500 votes in previous Assembly polls, seems to be in a strong position as he belongs to the Muslim community, which constitutes 35 per cent of voters. The sizeable number of Kuruba and Dalit voters may support him as CM Siddaramaiah is considered to be the undisputed leader of Kurubas. Besides Mr. Khan’s good rapport with the people, his party being in power would be a big advantage for him. The major worry for him is the Muslim JD(S) candidate, as his success depends on the number of votes the latter bags.

The greater the number of votes the JD(S) wins, the less would be the chances of victory of the Congress candidate. The consolidation of Hindu votes is a factor which could affect Rahim Khan’s prospects. Elections here have been fought on religious lines with Congress and BJP responsible for whipping up communal passions. Observers are of the view that Lingayat community, which is present in sizeable numbers, has been crucial in tilting the scale of victory in each of the 15 elections held so far.

Though BJP candidate Prakash Khandre, who  belongs to Lingayat community, is from neighbouring Bhalki constiutency, the ‘outsider’ factor may not cause him much harm. For the BJP cadre, it’s the party that matters, not the candidate. Mr Chandrakanth Sindhol  was among the first Jan Sangh candidate to have won the seat in 1967. The constituency has the distinction of electing a BSP candidate (Syed Zulfikar Hashmi) in 1994.