Drugs, riots, and rowdyism. According to some residents of Pulakeshi Nagar in Bengaluru, these are the pressing problems in their constituency. Located just four km from Karnataka's Vidhana Soudha, the Assembly seat suffers from poor infrastructure development and high crime rates. The most recent riots, in DJ Halli in August 2020, continue to be the talking point among voters in the constituency ahead of next week’s elections. Former Congress MLA Akhanda Srinivas Murthy, who was caught in its crossfires, is now contesting on a Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) ticket after the grand old party denied him the ticket for a constituency he has represented twice. The Congress move to drop Murthy from the electoral race is seen as a strategy to hold on to the support of Muslims, who make up nearly half the population of Pulakeshi Nagar. On August 11, 2020, Murthy's nephew allegedly posted on Facebook a derogatory remark about Prophet Muhammad, triggering violence. Rioters torched the DJ Halli police station and vandalised and set Murthy’s house on fire that night. The three-way poll battle for the Scheduled Caste (SC)-reserved seat is now between Murthy, A C Srinivas of the Congress, and A Murali of the BJP. While residents in some parts of Pulakeshi Nagar speak highly of Murthy as someone who addressed people’s problems, Muslim-dominated areas such as DJ Halli and Muneshwar Nagar — the epicentre of the violence — are brimming with anger against the Dalit leader. The constituency consists of over 2.3 lakh voters, of whom one lakh are Muslims and 75,000 Tamilians. These two groups largely dictate the poll results here. While some feel Murthy can win even as an Independent because of his popularity, others feel it is a daunting task. Murthy alleged that “some tall leaders” in the party — a reference to state Congress president D K Shivakumar — did not want to see him grow, which is why he missed the ticket. A close aide of Siddaramaiah, Murthy polled nearly one lakh votes in 2018, the highest for any candidate in the state, and won with a whopping 77% vote share. It is believed that he pocketed a large number of Muslim votes after influential Muslim leaders canvassed for him despite several local Congress corporators opposing his nomination. However, things are different this time. Moulana Zainulaabdeen Shawali, an influential Muslim leader, said, “In 2018, it was us who worked at the grassroots to ensure that all minority votes go to him (Murthy). However, after the 2020 riots, things have changed. He should have taken action against his relative when the defamatory post went up. Moreover, several innocent Muslim families were destroyed after the police framed and arrested their kin in connection with the riots. This time I believe, Muslims will side with the Congress,” said Shawali. Though there is some anger against the Congress among Muslims, the absence of choice seems to be working in the party's favour. In further bad news for Murthy, the pro-Muslim outfit SDPI (Social Democratic Party of India) has also entered the fray, fielding Bhaskar Prasad, and is expected to cut into the Muslim votes. The BJP's Murali could bag the Tamil votes. The Congress candidate, in his outreach towards Muslims, is banking on the popularity of the late C K Jaffer Sharief, former union railway minister, whom Srinivas has been referring to as “guru” during the poll campaign. “Congress has betrayed me by not giving the ticket. My supporters wanted me to contest from a national party. That is why I chose BSP. Beyond communal lines, I feel people of the constituency will support me for the development works I have undertaken,” said Murthy. Mohammed Liaqat, a resident of Kaval Byrasandra, said, “The constituency is brimming with illiteracy, drugs and crime. Lack of education gives rise to riot-like situations and other illegal activities. There are no government PU colleges or well-equipped schools or libraries in many wards of Pulakeshi Nagar, which is why students in the age group 16-18 get into criminal activities.” The kin of a victim who was allegedly framed in the DJ Halli riots said, “The ghosts of the riots still haunt us. It will not be erased easily. The local leaders then, including Murthy, did not help the innocent Muslims who were framed and arrested by the police. Our family still feels the pinch of the struggles we had to go through in the aftermath of the riots.” H Mahendra, a resident of RT Nagar, said, “Even if Murthy contests as an Independent he will win. He has addressed civic issues such as installing street lights, ensuring water supply, and housing for the poor, and has gained the confidence of the voters over time.”
