Bengaluru: Congress has devised a strategy to increase its vote bank by preventing the Muslim vote bank from going to JDS. In some places, JDS has fielded candidates from the Muslim community, and in such places, the votes coming to the Congress candidate may lean towards JDS. It has been calculated that the BJP can benefit from this by dividing the vote. That is why the talk that the Congress has proposed banning Bajrang Dal in its Manifesto is being debated in the political circle. The Muslim community has also recognised with small percentage in the JD (S). If these votes are taken away from JD (S), the influence of JD (S) will diminish. In addition to this, the Congress strategy is that the Vokkaligas will remain a large vote bank in some places, which will cause a big setback to the JDS. Out of the more than 5 crore voters in the state, approximately 75 lakh are Muslim voters, followed by Scheduled Caste voters.
JD (S) got 9% Muslim votes in 2018 Assembly elections. In addition to this, SDPI also secured large number of votes in some constituencies. But this time the Congress has calculated to retain the Muslim votes in full. Percentage of Muslim voter turnout was 70 percent and thus it has made a strategy to increase it up to 85%. In 85 Assembly constituencies, Muslim community has maximum number and they are decisive in 38 constituencies. It has been calculated that Congress will benefit more if they all vote together. It is also true that other political parties including the opposition Congress and JD (S) are competing for Muslim votes. It is unclear whether this rivalry will lead to a split in the Muslim vote and how it will affect the results. There are signs that Congress, JD (S), SDPI, AIMIM and Aam Aadmi parties are competing for Muslim votes in the state.
It is being heard that there has been no discussion among the state leaders of the Congress about including the idea of banning Bajrang Dal in the Manifesto. For so long, the election was taken as a matter of price hike and corruption. However, discussions are going on in the Congress circle that if the issue of religion is brought up, the candidates of the party will be set back in many constituencies. The share of the Muslim community among the voters of the state is 13 percent. This community has its dominance in about 40 constituencies. At least 70 other constituencies are important. Earlier, their support was mostly for the Congress party in state politics. After the rise of JD (S), it is clear that the vote of the Muslim community is divided.
Former CM Siddaramaiah has recently announced that it will spend Rs. 10000 Crore every year for the welfare of Muslim community. Generally, the Government spends around Rs. 3000 Crore annually for the welfare of minorities.
Former Chief Minister H. D. Kumaraswamy has gone a step further and said that if the party comes to power, their party will make a Muslim leader as the Chief Minister. Former CM B. S. Yediyurappa said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi advised the BJP leaders to try to take other religious minorities into confidence to reach out to the Muslim community. With the entry of NCP and Left parties, the election contest will be tight. With the entry of SDPI, AIMIM, AAP and NCP, BSP parties, the state Assembly election contest will be more heated and it is interesting that the vote will be divided in the state election as well.