Banned Islamist outfit Popular Front of India’s (PFI) political arm Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) failed to open its account in the recent Karnataka Assembly elections, with its candidates losing deposits in 15 of the 16 constituencies it contested. Seven of the seats the party contested were in coastal Karnataka, two in central Karnataka, two in Bangalore (Urban), two in Mumbai Karnataka, two in south Karnataka, and one in Hyderabad Karnataka. Of the 16 seats, the SDPI got less than 1% vote in the five constituencies of Mudigere (0.38%), Raichur (0.44%), Madikeri (0.81%), Davanagere South (0.9%), and Hubli-Dharwad East (0.91%). The party received between 1-2% votes in the six seats of Kapu (1.07%), Chitradurga (1.25%), Belthangady (1.33%), Sarvagnanagar (1.54%), Puttur (1.61%), and Terdal (1.96%). In Moodabidri (2.28%), Bantval (2.93%), and Pulakeshinagar (3.13%) the SDPI’s vote share was between 2-5%. In Mangalore, the SDPI got 9.41% of the votes polled. In all, the SDPI received 90,482 votes, including 169 postal votes across the 16 seats. Its vote share was 0.23%, up marginally from 0.12% five years ago. The SDPI lost deposits in all these constituencies as — according to Section 158(4) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 — its nominees failed to secure one-sixth of the valid votes polled by all the candidates. The only seat where the SDPI managed to save its deposit was Narasimharaja in Mysuru district where it received 22.19% of the votes polled. The SDPI’s state president Abdul Majeed was in the fray from the seat. Here, the votes polled by the party, 41,037, was more than the Congress’s victory margin of 31,120. Narasimharaja was one of the three constituencies the SDPI contested in the 2018 elections. It had managed to save its deposit there then too, with Majeed receiving 20.56% of the votes. But the party lost its deposits in the other two constituencies — Gulbarga Uttar (0.54% vote share) and Chickpet (9.08%). In 2013, Naheed finished second in the constituency. The Congress won 10 of the 16 seats where the SDPI was in the fray this time, while six went to the BJP. The party did not have any impact on the results in these constituencies. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eh8vegXGbJ8&ab_channel=TheIndianExpress The government banned the PFI last September. “The Popular Front of India (PFI) and its associates or affiliates or fronts have been found to be involved in serious offences, including terrorism and its financing, targeted gruesome killings, disregarding the constitutional set up of the country, disturbing public order etc. which are prejudicial to the integrity, security and sovereignty of the country,” the Union Ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement on September 28. The statement added, “Therefore, the Ministry of Home Affairs found it necessary to curb the nefarious activities of the organization and has hence declared the Popular Front of India (PFI) along with its associates or affiliates or fronts, including Rehab India Foundation (RIF), Campus Front of India (CFI), All India Imams Council (AIIC), National Confederation of Human Rights Organization (NCHRO), National Women’s Front, Junior Front, Empower India Foundation and Rehab Foundation, Kerala as an “unlawful association” under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.” The SDPI evolved out of the PFI in 2009 and was formed to advocate the political issues of Muslims, Dalits, and other marginalised communities. The SDPI’s stated goal is the “advancement and uniform development of all the citizenry including Muslims, Dalits, Backward Classes and Adivasis”, and to “share power fairly among all the citizens”.
