By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
Bengaluru: Janata Dal (Secular) will field at least five Muslim candidates from the state capital itself alone, announced the State unit president HD Kumaraswamy.
Speaking at a programme on Sunday, Kumaraswamy announced his party’s decision to field candidates from minority community in 5 out of Bengaluru’s 28 Assembly constituencies.
He also announced the names of 4 candidates: B.Z. Zameer Ahmed Khan (Chamarajpet), Abdul Azeem (Hebbal), Abbas Ali Bohra (Shivajinagar) and K.S. Sameeulla (Jayanagar), all belonging to the Muslim community.
With Muslims constituting 12.23% of Karnataka’s population, political parties are now grumbling to lure their vote share and want to be seen allying with the community. Kumaraswamy, son of former Prime Minister of India, HD Deve Gowda and who himself served as Chief Minister of Karnataka for a brief period of time, in alliance with the BJP, realizes the ‘importance’ of Muslims’ vote shares.
Last week, he said that his party would have “over 20-25 Muslim candidates”, as Muslims according to him, “dominate in more than 50 constituencies in the State”.
Kumaraswamy has been attempting to extend olive branch to Muslims since he parted ways from the BJP.
Last month, he also visited Ajmer Sharif, to seek the Sufi saint’s “blessings”, much to the annoyance of BJP, who accused him of “wooing voters in the name of religion”.