Fight for Muslim votes has reached its crescendo in western Uttar Pradesh against the backdrop of the Muzaffarnagar riots. With clerics openly wooing and dictating voters of their community for the April 10 and April 17 polls, voting could be on highly polarised lines.
A set of clerics have appealed to Muslims to support the Congress, the Aam Aadmi Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party and even the Samajwadi Party with the aim to restrict the BJP from gaining power at the Centre.
Shahi Imam of Delhi’s Jama Masjid Syed Ahmed Bukhari started the trend by asking Muslims to vote for the Congress and reject the BSP and the SP. “When we are focusing on national-level elections, then national and secular party like the Congress should be Muslims’ choice to defeat the BJP,” said Bukhari.
On the other hand, after ending relations with the SP, cleric Mulana Tauqeer Raza joined the camps of the BSP terming it as the strongest party that can defeat the BJP. He is campaigning for the BSP candidates in Uttar Pradesh. Delhi-based Shia cleric Maulana Jalal Haider Naqvi is backing the BSP.
In the latest development, Ahmed Bukhari’s younger brother and Naib Imam Maulana Syed Yahya Bukhari has joined hands with Shia cleric Maulana Kalbe Jawad to urge Muslims not to vote for the Congress. “We cannot take name of any specific political party whom Muslims should vote, but had advised that they should vote for secular candidates,” said Yahya Bukhari.
Appeals are pouring in because there are 41 candidates of recognised political parties in the fray in the first two phases of elections in UP. In the first and second phases, there are 21 seats. On 18 seats, 23 Muslim candidates belonging to the SP, the BSP and the Congress are in the fray. The SP has fielded 11, BSP 9, and the Congress 6 Muslim candidates in the first two phases of the polls. BJP has not fielded any Muslim candidate from Uttar Pradesh.
Hate speeches both by the political leaders and candidates of Muslims and Hindu communities have already polarised the election campaign in the region. Muzaffarnagar riots are the main political agenda for all the political parties in the region. In addition, cane farmers issue, creation of a separate West UP State and upliftment of the minority are the other issues.
In most of the seats in the first two phases, Muslims have a fare percentage of vote bank, ranging from 15 to 40 per cent, and their tactical voting can change the results for any candidate. In five seats, there are two prominent Muslim candidates in the fray while in two seats three minority candidates of big parties are trying their luck.
The most interesting contest is being witnessed in Saharanpur seat where two cousins are contesting on tickets of two different parties. Disqualified Congress MP Rashid Masood’s son Shadan Masood is the SP candidate, while former’s nephew Imran Masood is the Congress nominee. Imran was recently lodged in jail for his reported hate speech against BJP PM candidate Narendra Modi.
The Kairana seat is also heading for a keen contest where Nahid Hasan of the SP and Kunwar Hasan of the BSP will fight it out. Nahid is the son of present BSP MP Tabasum Begam. At Sambhal, present MP Safikurrahman Burq of the SP and Akilur Rahman of the BSP are locked in a keen contest. In Amroha, Minister of State Kamal Akhtar’s wife Humera Akhtar will take on Farhan Hasan of the BSP.
Meerut seat will also witness a keen contest with SP candidate and UP Minister Shahid Manjoor taking on BSP’s Haji Shahid Iklaq. Rampur and Moradabad has three prominent Muslim candidates each. In Rampur, Congress has fielded MlA Nawab Kazim Ali Khan, while the BSP has fielded Haji Akbar Husain, while the SP has given ticket to Naseeb Khan. In Moradabad, the BJP has fielded former UP Minister Haji Yakoob Qureshi, and the Congress has given ticket to Noor Bano. The SP has fielded Dr ST Hasan.