Muslims, Tamils hold the key?

By K.Satyamurty

BANGALORE, OCT. 26. The run-up to the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) elections saw it all. From last minute wrangling for seats and corporators faced with changes in the roster of reserved wards suddenly discovering the merits of Buddhism to religious and linguistic minorities voicing their demands.

An interesting feature this time is that the ``corporate citizens'' have come out of their mouse-and-keyboard bound existence to realise that there is another kind of corporation which can possibly make their lives easier.

While the BJP was the first to begin announcing its list of candidates, there was confusion in the Congress till the last minute due to differences among senior party leaders, legislators, and KPCC members. The two Janata Dals decided to go their separate ways but a tacit understanding among their candidates was not ruled out.

The religious minorities, especially the Muslims, have publicly announced their disappointment with the sitting corporators and have formed a Karnataka Muslim United Front to represent the 18 lakh Muslim voters in the City. The convenor of the front, Mr. Mohammed Nisar, said they would try to support common candidates in the 27 Muslim-dominated wards and avoid splitting of votes. ``Muslim candidates who will do their best for their community and other citizens in their wards will be supported, irrespective of their party affiliation,'' he declared.

The minority community is disappointed that the City has not had a Muslim Mayor so far and is also upset that several Muslim- dominated wards have now been reserved for SC candidates, further reducing representation for the community in the BMP Council.

The 47 Tamil-dominated wards may see several sitting corporators facing a tough fight. It is another matter that some of the Tamil-speaking wards in Ulsoor have a sizable Telugu population as well. The Tamils are upset that though they represent almost 42 per cent of Bangalore's five million citizens, their needs have not been represented adequately by corporators belonging to the DMK or the AIADMK. Their main grievance is that the statue of the poet, Thiruvalluvar, installed near Ulsoor Lake has remained ``veiled'' for more than a decade. They are now ready to support only candidates who promise them that the statue will be unveiled soon.

Two NGOs, the Public Affairs Centre (PAC) and Swabhimana, have launched a serious voter awareness campaign. They will use cable TV, FM radio and other media to inform the voters about the need to vote. The NGOs will also inform the voters about candidates, their past performance and try to expose those who are tax defaulters and those with criminal record. They are also determined to verify the electoral rolls, monitor whether candidates follow the ``code of conduct'' and carry out a post- poll survey to assess the extent of ``bogus voting.''

Adding spice to the civic elections will be the presence of several ``rebel candidates'' who could not get their party nominations. They believe that their track record will help them win even without the party symbol.

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Section  : Southern States
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