Breaching BJP fortress uphill task for Karnataka’s lone Muslim face

Tribune News Service

Aksheev Thakur

Bengaluru, April 21

The scorching heat of Bengaluru has not deterred the supporters of Bangalore Central Congress candidate Mansoor Ali Khan, as he campaigned near Markham road dominated by academic institutions, eateries and residential houses.

As party workers streamed in, residents rose in support of the lone Muslim candidate from any major party in Karnataka. Khan is the son of former Union Minister K Rahman Khan.

The only Muslim MP from Karnataka who made it to the Lok Sabha was Iqbal Ahmed Saradgi from Gulbarga in 2004.

Khan, contesting against the BJP’s three-term MP PC Mohan, was accompanied by Shantinagar MLA and strongman Mohammad Harris.

The Tribune caught up with Khan who exuded confidence in emerging victorious. He said he had a vision to transform Bangalore Central into a model constituency.

“This constituency has a sizable minority electorate. We are optimistic that the Congress-led state government’s guarantees and our government’s performance over the past one year will fetch us votes. Hundreds of residents are participating in our rally in this heat. That itself says that people want a change,” he said.

Being an educationist, he would work towards elevating education and healthcare standards, he said.

“While the responsibilities of an MP are different from that of an MLA, the common man expects us to resolve their basic problems first. The development of my constituency is a top priority for me,” he said.

Of its four Assembly segments, Muslim population is in sizeable numbers in Chamarajpet, Shantinagar, Sarvagnanagar and Shivaji Nagar areas where the Congress aims to score big, while the BJP is trying to woo Muslim voters by raising the issue of ban on the triple talaq to reach out to Muslim women. The party has raked up the Amanath Bank scam, which allegedly involved Khan’s father.

CV Raman Nagar and Mahadevapura Assembly segments, having around 4.5 lakh voters, have always given the BJP an edge in parliamentary elections.

Bangalore Central comprises 17 per cent Muslims and nearly 5 per cent Christians. The SCs, who have been part of the BJP’s support base here, account for 16 per cent of the population. The IT park dominated constituency contributes around 25 per cent of taxes to the Centre.

Khan said, “The allocation of funds for infrastructure development here is not adequate. People want their issues to be resolved. I will act as a bridge between them and Parliament.”

Mahadevapura is reeling under severe water crisis and infrastructural woes. “This fiscal, Mahadevapura alone contributed Rs 1,039 crore as property tax. However, we still have water issues, bad roads and traffic problems. The area faces severe water logging in the monsoon. As an MP, PC Mohan should have raised these issues, but he didn’t. Mansoor is a newbie, but he must be given a chance,” said Sapna Belur, a member of the Mahadevapura Resident Welfare Association. Amit Swaroop, a techie, expressed frustration that the Congress government after coming to power in 2023 did not address the issues the constituency was facing.

“The government gives freebies utilising the taxes it collects from Mahadevapura, but doesn’t work on constructing roads and reducing traffic snarls. I will vote for the BJP, which has done away with triple talaq and is working on the Uniform Civil Code. The Ram Mandir promise was also fulfilled,” Swaroop said.

Cashing in on Hindutva and PM Narendra Modi’s image, PC Mohan is confident of winning for the fourth time. “There is no Congress guarantee that will work against the BJP. We are determined to secure all 28 seats in Karnataka, with the support of the JDS alliance. Since the BJP assumed power in Delhi, the country’s economy has experienced robust growth under the visionary leadership of PM Modi. I have always attended my own phone calls and resolved people’s issues,” he said.

Karnataka will vote in the second and third phases on April 26 and May 7. Bangalore Central will vote on April 26.

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