The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Congress plans strategy to secure more Dalit votes

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Tuesday, Feb 26, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Congress plans strategy to secure more Dalit votes

T.S. Ranganna

M. Mallikarjun Kharge

Bangalore: Trying to take advantage of the Union Government’s decision to implement the recommendations of the Kuldip Singh Commission report on delimitation of Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies, the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) has chalked out a strategy to draw more Dalits, backward classes and minority voters to its side.

Besides, the deletion of names of 51 lakh “non-existent voters” in the State has also been thought of as an opportunity provided to the party to outsmart its political opponents in the Assembly elections.

‘Vindicated’

KPCC president M. Mallikarjun Kharge told The Hindu said that the delimitation decision of the Centre had vindicated the Congress’s stand that it would increase the seats earmarked for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes from 36 to 51 in the next Assembly. He said the KPCC had also changed its plans to take the Janandolana to the rural Assembly segments in all the 175 taluks after March 10.

The campaign would be held in the urban constituencies later.

He urged the Election Commission not to hold elections to the Assembly before all the political parties completely understood the composition of the voters and the boundaries of the constituencies, which have been drastically changed.

Bogus voters

Mr. Kharge, who put the number of “bogus voters” at 60 lakh, said there was a bogus vote for every five persons and with that support, he alleged that the BJP and Janata Dal (S) increased their strength in the urban local bodies in the recent elections.

A large number of voters from the rural areas who went to the urban centres for a livelihood for short periods would be deprived of their right to vote as some elements had got their names removed in the electoral rolls, thanks to the connivance of officials.

Unless these things were rectified, the election process could not be started as the people could not choose their representatives in a fair manner.

Mr. Kharge, who just completed the Janandolana programme in the headquarters of 29 districts, said that he had explained to the people the differences between the Janata Dal (S) and BJP that resulted in the fall of the coalition government.

It had also affected development works in the State.

The campaign had helped in consolidating the position of his party, he added.

The KPCC said that the meetings in Bagalkot, Bidar, Koppal, Belgaum, Hospet, Bijapur and other towns in north Karnataka were well attended. Even in Mangalore and Bellary, where the BJP is strong, people were enthusiastic about supporting the Congress, though the attendance was not encouraging compared to other districts. Bellary district (which will have more Scheduled Tribe constituencies) will send more Congress candidates to the Assembly this time, he added.

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