Cong overcomes SP scare

SURAT, March 21: With Samajwadi Party candidate, Mumtaz, withdrawing her candidature, the Congress Party appeared to have cleared a major...

SURAT, March 21: With Samajwadi Party candidate, Mumtaz, withdrawing her candidature, the Congress Party appeared to have cleared a major hurdle for the forthcoming civic by-election.

State Congress vice president Kadir Pirzada who was instrumental in persuading Mumtaz to withdraw her nominations, told her husband that if his wife remained in the fray, the Bharatiya Janata Party would sweep the crucial by-election because Muslim votes would be divided. 8220;After she was convinced, Mumtaz withdrew her nomination which pre- election victory to us,8221; said Pirzada.

The Ward No 31, which is to go to polls on April 18, is a minority dominated area. Knowing fully well that Muslims, who constitute 40 per cent electorate of the area, unlikely to vote for the BJP, the saffron party encouraged a Muslim candidate to file nomination from Samajwadi Party. 8220; She was planted by us to neutralise Muslim votes8221;, a party insider told Express Newsline.

With Mumtaz withdrawing her nomination, the BJP8217;s calculation has gone haywire. The Congress party has beaten the BJP in its own game. However, for record senior councillor Bakul PatelBJP who also represents ward No 31 said:8220; her withdrawal will make no difference. We will win the election8221;.

The BJP is banking on the theory of Muslim voting behaviour. The Muslim voting behaviour, claims Patel, shows that their voting percentage is high only when they have their own candidate. If no Muslim candidate is in the fray, their voting percentage is low. And precisely this is going to happen this time around.

Expectedly, the Congress camp is upbeat. 8220;The election scene has become clear now. 8221;claims Pirzada. Going by the caste and community combination and permutation, the Congress seems to be in enviable position with Muslim, Harijan and kharwa community backing it. Aggravating the problems for BJP, the Patel community has express its displeasure with the BJP as the killer of the slain councillor Nitha Sathbaya is yet to be caught. The impression is gaining ground that the party is shielding the real killer for fear of being exposed.

8220;The Police is doing its job.8221; is the stock reply of the BJP office-bearers. In fact, the BJP wants to play down Nitha issue, saying her husband has been given a job in SMC.

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The Congress is all set to capitalise on this issue. We will exploit the BJP8217;s inability to bring the culprit to books. 8220;It is going to be our election plank,8221; says city congress president Thakorebhai Naik.

With both the parties trying to wrest the seat, it is crucial election.For its outcome will show what is in the store for both the parties in the civil elections scheduled for April 2000.