The Karnataka Muslim Muttahida Mahaz, an umbrella organisation of non-political Muslim groups that has identified “secular-minded” candidates to defeat “communal” forces, has failed to arrive at a consensus on a “suitable” candidate to back in Narasimharaja Assembly constituency in Mysuru. Narasimharaja, which has a large population of Muslim voters, is among the two constituencies that the Mahaz has failed to come to a consensus on. The Mahaz representatives in Mysuru are divided on the issue, with almost half of them favouring Mr. Majeed while the other half prefers Mr. Sait. A section of Mahaz representatives in the district have urged the State-level office-bearers to not take any decision on the “suitable candidate” in Narasimharaja and leave it the wisdom of the voters. A section of Mahaz representatives feel that any move to support a non-Congress candidate might lead to a split in secular votes, thus giving the edge to the BJP.

Source: The Hindu May 06, 2018 19:07 UTC