By Mohd. Ismail Khan, TwoCircles.net,
Bengaluru: Although Congress swept the whole of Karnataka, including Hyderabad-Karnataka region where party was able to win 25 out of 40 seats, but out of three of its Muslim faces in the region two sitting MLAs Raheem Khan from Bidar and Syed Yaseen from Raichur hadto taste a defeat. Only Qamar-ul-Islam was able to retain his seat from Gulbarga, making him the only Congress Muslim face from a strategic region which has huge minority population.
Raheem Khan’s case was appalling as he was a sitting MLA from Bidar and was defeated by Gurupadappa Nagamarpalli, candidate from newly formed Karnataka Janta Paksha, with a margin of just 2,571 votes. Raheem khan scored 48,147 votes, while Nagamarpalli polled 50,718 votes.
Former MLA Raheem Khan with local Muslims
G. Nagamarpalli is a veteran politician with an image of shifting political lines; he has been state minister in former Congress and BJP Government and four times MLA from both the parties. But he was considered outsider for Bidar constituency, contesting for the first time after his old neighboring constituency Aurad was dissolved in delimitation process.
Congress MLC from Bidar and senior journalist Qazi Arshed Ali, speaking to TwoCircles.net said that religion and caste played spoil sport for Raheem khan who was not able to get all the communities under single umbrella, even when his main contender was from strong and dominant Lingayat caste.
He said Bidar constituency has always been communally sensitive one, but this time additional to caste, money also played major role in this election.
Arshed Ali also blamed personal and factional politics within Congress party in Bidar district, adding that in Bidar district out of five constituencies Congress was able to win only one seat. He said that there is no powerful district leadership of Congress even when there is a sitting MLA and MP. Ali stressed on the need of a comprehensive leadership.
Bidar constituency has Muslim population of nearly 40%, now Muslims in Bidar according to Arshed Ali is feeling dejected especially those who didn’t go to polling booths to cast their vote.
Ali said that Congress is now in damage control mode and are making plans for organizational changes in district leadership before parliamentary elections.
Congress MLC Arshed Ali also said that Muslims in Bidar are hopeful that as the Bidar parliamentary constituency has become a general constituency, Congress will provide ticket to a Muslim candidate. Earlier Bidar parliamentary seat was a reserved constituency for Schedule Caste.
Qazi Arshed Ali Congress MLC from Bidar
Ali said that whole of Bidar district and parts of Gulbarga district combine together to form Bidar parliamentary constituency which has huge Muslims electoral population and there is a fair chance of a Muslim candidate from a mainstream national party to win the general election.
He reminded that Dr. Shafaqtullah from Uttar Pradesh won from Bidar Parliamentary seat in 1950’s during former Prime Minister Nehru’s period. Ali now hopes that Muslims will get a fair chance to assert their representation in Bidar.
Presently Bidar parliamentary seat is represented by former Karnataka chief minister and senior congress leaders N. Dharam Singh.