Has BJP been successful in wooing Muslim voters in Sindgi?

Bhusnur says that he has secured at least 4,000-5,000 Muslim votes and he may be telling the truth: writer

What factors could have influenced the bypoll results in Sindgi? This is the issue being discussed a day after the results.

While some have said that the BJP victory in Sindgi is significant as the ruling party lost in Hangal, the Chief Minister’s home district, some others are praising the efforts of party leaders V. Somanna, Lakshman Savadi and others.

However, the factors seem to be varied and non-linear. Sindgi was one of the six seats won by the Janata Dal(S) in North Karnataka. On Tuesday, it lost the seat and party candidate Naziya Angadi lost her deposit. Compared to this, party leader M.C. Managuli, who won in 2018, had secured 70,865 votes, around 44% of those polled.

The victory margin of over 31,000 votes seems to have surprised BJP nominee Ramesh Bhusnur. Political observers say that it could be due to the low voting percentage. Last time, the voting percentage was 81. The 12 per cent reduction in voting seems to have affected the chances of the Congress and the Janata Dal(S).

Janata Dal(S) leadership was upset that Ashok Managuli and Shantaveer Managuli, sons of M.C. Managuli, had joined the Congress after the death of their father. In campaign speeches, party leaders H.D. Deve Gowda and H.D. Kumaraswamy had asked the voters not to favour their deserters.

They argued that the Janata Dal(S) was the real secular party and that the Congress had exploited them all through. They chose Ms. Angadi, whose father in-law B.C. Angadi was a senior Janata Parivar leader in the 1980s.

It was widely believed that the Janata Dal(S) had fielded a Muslim candidate only to split the secular vote. However, the Janata Dal(S) made little impact in the byelection, as it secured only 4,321 votes, around 2.6% of those polled.

At least two Congress leaders told The Hindu that some BJP leaders had met some Muslim leaders asking them to vote for the Janata Dal(S) and not the Congress.

Some believe that Mr. Bhusnur has been successful in getting some Muslim votes. “Like K.S. Eshwarappa in Shivamogga, Mr. Bhusnur enjoys a personal rapport with the Muslim leadership in the constituency. He has been helping the community since the beginning. He says that he has secured at least 4,000-5,000 Muslim votes. He may be telling the truth,’’ said Mahantesh Mathpati, a Sindgi-based writer.

There are unconfirmed reports that the Muttahida Mahaj, a federation of voters, had appealed to the Muslim voters in Sindgi not to support the Janata Dal(S) as it would ultimately help the BJP. “The federation organised meetings of various Jamaat groups in the taluk in which leaders of various religious bodies, and some parties, participated,’’ said a leader from Almel town who had participated in one such meeting.

Abdul Masood Khadar, convenor of the federation, however, denied these reports. “The federation does not openly support or oppose any party. Its main agenda is to create awareness about the poll process and ensure that most voters exercise their franchise. We did not organise any meeting in Sindgi. It is possible that some of our sympathisers who have political affiliations may have participated in some of the meetings,’’ he said.

“Muslims form at least 21% of the electorate. But they did not vote in large enough numbers. Some were upset that the Congress did not give ticket to one of them. Some registered voters have gone away to Maharashtra to seek work,’’ said a Congress leader.

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