Karwar: The
Hindutva factor and the
Modi wave have swept
Uttara Kannada district while the ruling
Congress got a drubbing in Uttara Kannada district. The mixture of Hindutva, Modi and Yogi charisma has resulted in the decimation of Congress, according to the
BJP and Congress leaders.
Over-confidence and failure to understand the sentiments of the majority community cost us dearly, was the reaction of most Congress leaders. Most of them, waiting outside
Dr AV Baliga College in Kumta where the counting of votes was under way, attributed the party defeat to the Modi wave and communal riots that erupted in the district last December.
Of six assembly seats in the district, BJP won Karwar, Kumta, Bhatkal and Sirsi and Congress bagged Yellapur and Haliyal seats. Congress stalwarts like industries minister RV Deshpande had to struggle to win by a narrow margin. Sitting MLA and Congress candidate Shivaram Hebbar of Congress could win Yellapur by a slender margin of 1,500 votes. But BJP won all seats by a huge margin.
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Many Congress leaders feel the open support extended by Muslim body Majlise-Islah-Wa-Tanzeem to the Congress candidate in sensitive Bhatkal constituency sent the wrong signal to the Hindu community which was angry with Congress after the recent communal clashes. “The support of the Tanzeem not only affected the party’s prospects in Bhatkal but also in other seats,” said Nagaraj Naik, a gram panchayat member of Congress.
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No community would vote 100% for any one party. In many places, Muslims have voted for BJP. Supporting any one party in the name of religion would have a counter-reaction and Tanzeem leaders should understand this, said Mohammad Shafi, secretary, Minority Morcha, BJP.
Congress mishandled the communal riots that erupted in the aftermath of the death of Paresh Mesta in Honnavar. Police targeted Hindu youth and even slapped cases against women for forwarding provocative messages on social media. The anger of the majority community resulted in the Congress defeat, says Deepak Waingankar, former block Congress president. The Congress has been taken over by outsiders and loyal workers stayed away from electioneering, he said.
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Both BJP and Congress leaders said the four public meetings addressed by Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath in the district had a major effect on Hindu voters. He raked up communal riots and terror links to Bhatkal which pushed the majority community voters towards BJP as they were feeling insecure after police lodged cases against hundreds of youths. Congress leaders blamed the party leadership for not taking the majority community into confidence after communal riots in the district in December last year.
