Karnataka: Did Congress hold poll talks with MIM, SDPI?
The MIM had once contested the Bengaluru corporation polls but miserably failed to win over voters in the city.
Bengaluru: The Congress, which recently accused the BJP of holding talks with the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) for the coming state assembly polls, seems to have itself reached out to it and the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) to avert a division of Muslim votes in the elections.
Going by sources in the party, Congress leaders recently held talks with the two outfits with the help of some Muslim leaders and heads of a few major mosques and convinced them not to upset its prospects in the elections.
The MIM had once contested the Bengaluru corporation polls but miserably failed to win over voters in the city. This time, it is reportedly planning to concentrate on the Hyderabad-Karnataka region, which has high concentration of Muslim voters.
The SDPI too is similarly planning to focus more on coastal Karnataka, besides other Muslim dominated areas, according to sources.
The leaders representing the two parties reportedly agreed in principle at the meeting with the Congress representatives to field dummy candidates in the poll and support it instead. They were afraid the BJP could benefit from a split in the Muslim vote, claim sources.
Interestingly, a few days ago, Home Minister, R. Ramalinga Reddy had claimed he had credible information that the BJP had held talks with MIM leaders in Hyderabad for the coming assembly poll in Karnataka and questioned its decision to align with such “divisive forces.”
MIM is led Mr Asaduddin Owaisi, an outspoken politician, who is a three-time Member of Parliament and represents the Hyderabad constituency in the Lok Sabha.