By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
Bengaluru: The crucial civic polls held on March 7, just two months before scheduled state elections in Karnataka has brought favorable results for the Congress, which won 1,960 wards out of 4,867 wards which went to polls across the state.
In this civic polls which has been seen by many as mini state elections, across Karnataka 208 urban local bodies, 7 city corporations, 43 city municipal corporations, 65 town municipal councils and 93 town panchayats went to polls.
L-R: Mansoor Quadri, Abdul Aziz, and Shivanand Sunil
The ruling BJP lost almost 1/3rd of the seats they held and managed to get only 906 seats, the Janta Dal(S) the largest regional party of the state equaled the tally of BJP by getting 907 seats.
Yeddyurappa’s KJP made a dismal performance by winning just 274 wards, but they proved fatal for BJP, by cutting into their vote share. Nearly 1000 seats went to independent candidates.
The biggest shocker for BJP was Uddupi municipality which it lost to Congress, where BJP has its fortunes since 1968. Apart from Uduppi BJP also lost its traditional bastion of Mangalore and Bellary to Congress.
All India Majlis-e-Itehadul Muslimeen made their debut in the electoral politics of Karnataka by winning six seats in civic polls. MIM won three seats in Bidar Municipal council and three seats at Basvakalyan municipal council. In 35 members Bidar municipal council MIM has fielded nine candidates, and fielded six candidates at 31 member Basvakalyan municipal council.
L-R: Sultan Ali, Hajara Bi, and Mousa Miya
In Bidar Municipal council, Abdul Aziz from ward no.1, Mansoor Quadri ward no.3 and Shivanand Sunil from ward no.27 won the seats on MIM ticket. In Basvakalyan municipal council, Sultan Ali ward no.5, Mousa Miya ward no.9, and Hajra bi from ward no. 31 emerge victorious. In the Basvakalyan council two more MIM candidates at ward no. 10 and 6 lost with just 2 and 11 votes respectively.
Karnataka has substantial Muslim population, and major part of northern Karnataka was earlier under the rule of Nizam state. MIM, which traditionally have links in all the Nizam ruled territory is driving hard to make an electoral presence. Before this electoral debut in northern Karnataka, MIM also made their ways in eastern Maharashtra earlier part of Nizam state, by winning 11 seats at Nanded municipal polls last year.