Mangaluru: SDPI did not back Cong alone, JD(S) too benefited

Mangaluru: Congress leaders seem confident that they have secured the support of the pro-minority outfit, SDPI, in this election but  things could be different in the Mysuru and Bengaluru regions where some JD(S) leaders claim the SDPI has supported their candidates in some constituencies.

The SDPI had decided to contest in only three constituencies in the state and support secular parties in the other seats. This had made Congress leaders assume that the SDPI would support them in all constituencies and help them get the minority vote.

But SDPI sources have a different story to say. “The party never declared exclusive support for the Congress. It had clearly decided to support the strongest secular party in a constituency against the BJP. In some places it might have supported Congress and in others, the JD(S),” sources said.

If the SDPI has supported the JD(S) in some constituencies in the Mysuru region, it could prove the calculation of the Congress wrong as the JD(S) might win some of the seats which the Congress had assumed it would bag easily.

It may be remembered that in the parliament poll in 2014, the JD(S) and SDPI had an understanding. JD(S) sources agreed that SDPI had supported its candidates in the Mysuru region. The SDPI on its own is  confident of winning the Krishna Raja constituency in Mysuru this time.