Congress MLA Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy, who won by the highest margin in the 2018 Assembly polls, is facing a challenge as his candidature for the Pulakeshinagar seat is yet to be cleared by the Congress Election Committee (CEC) allegedly due to Muslim community’s displeasure against him over the August 2020 DJ Halli riots.
Pulakeshinagar is considered to be one of the most heavily populated Muslim constituencies in the state, with an estimated 124,771 Muslim residents residing in the area.
On the night of August 11, 2020, a mob resorted to arson in DJ Halli and KG Halli areas after Naveen P, nephew of Congress MLA R Akhanda Srinivas Murthy, posted a derogatory image of Prophet Muhammad on Facebook. This led to attacks on police stations, houses being burnt, and scores of vehicles destroyed. The police invoked the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, and arrested over 400 people in connection with the riots.
Muslims, who are still reeling under the 2020 riots, have reportedly expressed their displeasure over Murthy’s candidature, and the Muslim Ulama have demanded that he should not be given the ticket by the Congress party.
During a meeting that occurred two weeks ago between Muslim Ulama and the Karnataka Congress leadership, a source who attended the private meeting revealed to The Cognate that the Ulama had strongly urged the Congress party not to give Murthy the ticket. The Congress leadership had informed the Muslim community leaders that the decision to award Murthy the ticket had been left to Chamrajpet MLA BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan.
Khan, who had reportedly remained silent in front of the Muslim Ulama during their meeting with the Congress leadership, however, has been actively lobbying for Murthy’s candidature, in defiance of them. Khan’s aides have released multiple videos on social media stating that Murthy should not be held responsible for the riots that occurred in DJ Halli. One video even dares the Ulama to give a fatwa against Murthy, if they can.
Apart from Khan’s unflinching support, Murthy’s advantage in the upcoming election seems to stem from the fact that there is no strong opposition candidate in Pulakeshinagar, causing the Congress party to be in a state of uncertainty. The Social Democratic Party (SDPI) is the Congress party’s main opposition in Pulakeshinagar and has nominated Bhaskar Prasad as their candidate. However, the recent ban on Popular Front of India (PFI), and the arrest of some of its leaders and members have weakened the party’s position. It remains to be seen whether the anger towards Murthy will translate into votes for SDPI or whether the electorate will continue to support Murthy.
B Prasanna Kumar, a four-time Congress MLA, is seen as a potential challenger to Murthy within the party. However, it remains to be seen whether the Congress party will listen to the Muslim Ulama and deny the ticket to Murthy or whether they will listen to their own leader, BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan, and give Murthy the ticket again.
