Violating the BJP stronghold is an uphill battle for Karnataka’s lone Muslim face

Mansoor Ali Khan, the candidate for Bangalore Central Congress, was campaigning along Markham Road, which is lined with restaurants, residential homes, and academic institutions. Despite the intense heat of Bengaluru, his supporters remained unfazed.

Residents of Karnataka surged in favor of the only Muslim candidate running for any major party, while party workers poured in. Khan is the son of K Rahman Khan, a former Union Minister.

Iqbal Ahmed Saradgi of Gulbarga was the lone Muslim member of the Karnataka legislature to be elected to the Lok Sabha in 2004.

Along with Shantinagar MLA and BJP strongman Mohammad Harris, Khan was running against three-term MP PC Mohan.

When the Tribune met up with Khan, he seemed confident about winning. He said that he intended to make Bangalore Central a role model other constituencies.

There is a substantial minority electorate in this seat. We hope that the promises made by the state government headed by Congress, together with the accomplishments of our administration in the last year, will help us win votes. We have hundreds of locals coming out to our rally in this heat. That indicates that people are ready for change,” he added.

He said that as an educationist, he would strive to raise the bar for both healthcare and education.

“The average person wants us to take care of their fundamental concerns before we take on the obligations of an MP or MLA. My main concern is seeing my constituency grow,” he said.

Of its four Assembly seats, Chamarajpet, Shantinagar, Sarvagnanagar, and Shivaji Nagar have sizable Muslim populations. These regions are where the Congress hopes to make significant gains, while the BJP is reaching out to Muslim women by bringing up the topic of the prohibition on triple talaq in an attempt to win over Muslim votes. The Amanath Bank fraud, in which Khan’s father is purportedly engaged, has been brought up by the party.

The 4.5 lakh voters in the Assembly seats of CV Raman Nagar and Mahadevapura have consistently given the BJP an advantage in parliamentary elections.

In Bangalore Central, there are around 5% Christians and 17% Muslims. Making nearly sixteen percent of the population, the SCs have historically supported the BJP in this area. Approximately 25% of the taxes paid to the Center come from the constituency that is dominated by IT parks.

“Funds allocated for infrastructure development here are insufficient,” Khan said. People want a solution to their problems. I’ll serve as a liaison between them and the legislature.

Mahadevapura is suffering from a serious infrastructure problem as well as a water issue. Mahadevapura alone paid Rs. 1,039 crore in property taxes this year. Still, there are difficulties with traffic, poor roads, and water. During the monsoon, the region experiences heavy water logging. PC Mohan ought to have brought up these matters as an MP, but he chose not to. Mansoor is a novice, but he has to be given an opportunity, according to Sapna Belur, a Mahadevapura Resident Welfare Association member. Tech enthusiast Amit Swaroop voiced his dissatisfaction at the Congress government’s failure to solve the problems the constituency was experiencing when it took office in 2023.

The government uses the revenue it receives from Mahadevapura to provide freebies, but it does nothing to build roads and ease traffic congestion. Since the BJP abolished triple talaq and is drafting the Uniform Civil Code, I will vote for them. Additionally, the Ram Mandir commitment was kept, according to Swaroop.

Profiting from Hindutva and PM Narendra Modi’s reputation, PC Mohan feels optimistic about his chances of winning a fourth time. “There is no assurance from the Congress that it would oppose the BJP. With the backing of the JDS coalition, we are resolute in our pursuit of all 28 Karnataka seats. Under PM Modi’s innovative leadership, the nation’s economy has grown robustly since the BJP took office in Delhi. I’ve always answered my own calls and taken care of people’s problems,” he said.

On April 26 and May 7, Karnataka will cast ballots in the second and third rounds. April 26 is Bangalore Central’s voting day.