SDPI wins one seat in BBMP, accuses MIM of dividing Muslim votes

Bengaluru, Aug 25: Social Democratic Party of India, the political arm of Popular Front of India, which had opened its account in the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) in 2010, managed to win one seat in 2015 too.

Mujahid Pasha

Buoyed by the victory of some of its candidates in 2013 civic polls and recent gram panchayat polls across Karnataka, the Muslim dominant party had contested for 18 seats out of 198 wards.

Among 18 candidates, Mujahid Pasha, who had contested in Siddapura Ward has registered a victory.

However, SDPI has lost Padarayanapura Ward, wherein its female candidate Prof Nazni Begum had defeated JDS candidate with a clear margin of 2500 votes in 2010.

Dr Mahboob Shareef Awad, Karnataka state present of SDPI, told Coastaldigest.com that in a few other seats his party candidates have lost to other candidates with a minor margin.

Expressing contentment over SDPI’s overall performance in its second attempt in the BBMP, he said that workers' hard work yielded positive result.

“In two wards our candidates lost to Congress thanks to the presence of Muslim candidates from Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen of Asaduddin Owaisi,” he said.

He also made a veiled remark against Mr Owaisi, saying that a few youth in Muslim community were misguided by social media campaign launched by Hyderabad based party.

“Unlike them, we don’t provoke anyone through speeches. Our agenda is development,” he said.