Muslim voters are influential in 47 assembly seats in the state, while they play a decisive role in 22 constituencies. In these 47 seats, the number of Muslim voters ranges from 5,000 to 15,000, while in the 22 assembly segments, their numbers range from 15,000 to 35,000.
Team Clarion
BHOPAL — In total contrast to the vital importance attached to the Muslim factor in the electoral politics of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, Madhya Pradesh is almost free of this angle but for at least 22 assembly seats.
In the bi-party politics of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress in the poll-bound state, the ‘factor of Muslim vote’ assumes significance in case of neck-and-neck contest in the assembly elections next month.
The Congress has set its eyes firmly on Muslim votes and has been wooing them promising security and progress to the community already disillusioned with the BJP regime in the state because of its overt and covert anti-Muslim policies.
According to the 2011 census, the Muslim population in Madhya Pradesh is 7 per cent but it might have increased to 9-10 percent now. Muslim voters are influential in 47 assembly seats, while they play a decisive role in 22 constituencies. In these 47 seats, the number of Muslim voters ranges from 5,000 to 15,000, while in the 22 assembly segments, their numbers range from 15,000 to 35,000.
“This means Muslim voters are a deciding factor in 22 seats in case of a neck-and-neck contest. These seats include three segments from Bhopal, two in Indore, Burhanpur, Jaora and Jabalpur among others,” media reports quoted Mohammed Mahir, coordinator of Madhya Pradesh Muslim Vikas Parishad, associated with the Congress, as saying.
The Congress’ vote percentage increased by at least three to four per cent in the 2018 assembly elections, allowing it to narrowly surpass the BJP, he said.
Mahir said Kamal Nath, the Madhya Pradesh unit chief of the Congress, had stated in 2018 that if 90 per cent of the minority votes come in favour of the party, then the party can form the government. “On Nath’s appeal, minority votes were polled for Congress and the result was 10-12 more seats being added to the party kitty which the party had failed to win in 2008 and 2013,” Mahir claimed.
In the previous elections, BJP’s vote percentage (41.02 per cent) was slightly more than that of Congress (40.89 per cent), but Congress became the party with the highest number of seats by winning 114 seats out of 230, while BJP got 109. The Congress formed a coalition government with the support of MLAs from the Samajwadi Party (SP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), and some independent legislators. However, the government fell apart after 15 months due to defections by Congress MLAs.
Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Wakf Board Chairman and BJP spokesperson, Sanwar Patel, has accused the Congress of betraying the minority community. Patel mentioned that the Congress fields just two minority candidates in the elections, aiming for 90-100 per cent of the Muslim vote share, despite not doing much for the Muslim community. He claimed that the BJP has ensured social and economic development of Muslims.
In the upcoming elections, the Congress party has given a ticket to Atif Aqeel, the son of Arif Aqeel. Atif will challenge Alok Sharma, the former mayor of North Bhopal and BJP candidate, while Arif Masood is once again in the electoral arena from Central Bhopal. Mahir claims that Bhopal North is not a Muslim-dominated seat and Arif Aqeel could only win with the support of traditionally Congress loyalist non-Muslim voters. — With PTI inputs
