Even as the Congress-Samajwadi Party are claiming that the alliance wave is sweeping the State and overwhelming majority of Muslims are likely to vote for them, the denial of ticket to several sitting Muslim MlAs of the ruling party has put the community in a fix.
Most of the Muslim MlAs axed by the SP are from east Uttar Pradesh.
Kamal Yusuf, a Samajwadi veteran and five-term MlA, has been denied ticket by the SP president Akhilesh Yadav from Doomariyaganj seat in Sidharthnagar district. Yusuf said, “Why I am being punished by the party. What is my faultIJ I have no idea, but it has certainly hurt the people not only of my constituency Domariyaganj but three districts — Sidharthnagar, Sant Kabir Nagar, and Basti.”
He has won the seat five times with the last being on Peace Party ticket in 2012. later, he had joined the SP but could not get ticket for 2017 Assembly elections. The SP has given ticket to Chinku Yadav, a youth leader from Doomariyaganj.
“Mulayam Singh respected the senior leaders of the party, but the new leadership has other ideas. I will remain in the party and fight the detractors in the party and the Muslims of my constituency and Basti division are free to vote for anyone,” said Yusuf.
The SP has not fielded any Muslim candidate from whole Basti division. Waseem Ahmed, Minister of State and sitting MlA from Gopalpur in Azamgarh district, has also been denied ticket. Ahmed after being denied ticket tried to meet Akhilesh Yadav but was not successful.
Former Minister Shakir Ali from Deoria, who had defeated State BJP president Surya Pratap Shahi, from Patthardeva Assembly seat in 2012 Assembly elections, has also been denied ticket this time.
Ali, a three-term MlA, was a Cabinet Minister in previous SP regime headed by Mulayam Singh Yadav in 2003-07. SP sources said he was denied ticket at the behest of senior party leader Azam Khan.
In Ghazipur district Shadab Fatima, two-term MlA and a camp follower of Shivpal Yadav, the former State president of the SP, has also been denied party ticket from Zahoorabad Assembly constituency in the district.
She was earlier dismissed from the council of Minister in October last year along with Shivpal. In western UP, Najeeba Zeenat Khan, the lone Muslim women MlA in half a dozen districts, has also been denied ticket and has been replaced by Kiran Yadav who is related to an IAS officer.
Khan was elected on SP ticket in 2012 elections from Patiyali seat in Kasganj district. Other Muslim MlAs who have been denied ticket included Shamimul Haq from Moradabad Dehat, Ashfaq Ali Naugawa Saaadat in Amroha, and Babu Khan from Shahabad in Hardoi and Saeed Ahmed from Phoolpur in Allahabad.
Similarly, in Aligarh, the SP has not given ticket to its sitting MlA Haji Zameerullah from Kol seat. A two-term MlA Zameerullah is contesting Independent.