Despite having won the fifth term, Arif Aqueel, the only Muslim legislator in Madhya Pradesh did not celebrate his victory. He has the distinction of being the only representative of his community in the new State Assembly.
While talking to the mediapersons at his camp office on a crowded street in old Bhopal, next to lakshmi Talkies, he said, “I don't even know how many people on the voter list in my constituency are from the majority or minority community. I know that I win because people can call me till 2 am. And even after that my phone is on.”
Seven to eight per cent of MP’s population is Muslim, but the Congress fielded only five candidates from that community, including Aqueel. Only he won. The Congress now has just 58 MlAs in the 230-member House.
The BJP, which won a massive 165 seats to retain power, fielded only one Muslim Arif Baig, the man Aqueel defeated.
“I told the Congress leadership that 22 tickets should be given to Muslims. Then I suggested that at least 10 be given, but they gave only five,” he said.
There are at least 22 Muslim-dominated constituencies in Madhya Pradesh and a majority has voted for the BJP. Auqeel says this does not necessarily mean that Muslims in the State support Chouhan and argues that local leaders should be credited for the win.
During the campaign, Chouhan’s style of electioneering was seen as distinctly different from that of Narendra Modi, the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate. Unlike Modi, Chouhan has been known to wear a skull cap while greeting Muslims and has wooed minorities, granting land for a Urdu University and speaking of ‘Sarv Dharm Sadbhav’ or communal amity.
The effort has struck a chord. “He doesn’t discriminate between Hindus and Muslims, that’s how India should be,” a woman said.
Aqueel said he hoped his party, the Congress, will move beyond seeing the Muslim population “as just a vote bank.”