Lucknow33 minutes ago
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In the assembly elections held this year, the BJP did not give ticket to a single Muslim candidate. Earlier, in the 2017 assembly, 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections also, no Muslim candidate was fielded. But, in the municipal elections going to be held this year, a big change can be seen in the BJP. Because this time a large number of Muslim society is demanding ticket from BJP.
In the municipal elections, the party will field such a large number of Muslim candidates. It is being claimed that the Yogi-Modi duo has changed the political geography of the state. This minority society, which considers BJP as untouchable, is now demanding BJP ticket. Party sources claim that in the seats where the influence of Muslim society is more, the candidate of that society will be fielded.
State President Bhupendra Chaudhary says that the party will give ticket to the winning candidate.
Muslims are demanding BJP ticket in civic elections
The wind direction has changed in the state. Leaving the support of SP-BSP, Muslims are now asking for tickets from BJP. We are not doing this. BJP state president Chaudhary Bhupendra Chaudhary, who reached Sayohara in Bijnor, claimed that this time a large number of applications are also being received from Muslim society for tickets.
Bhupendra Chaudhary says that if the applicant is strong, then BJP will make electoral bets on Muslims as well. The party is going out in the areas with its tag line that we have come to feed Kamal. The workers are being given a pledge to feed lotus to every street, every nook and corner of all the civic areas of the state in the civic elections. The emphasis is on booth management. Also, the search is on for strong candidates.
Deputy CM Brajesh Pathak, who reached the Pasmanda Samaj convention in Lucknow, had said that “Congress, SP and other opposition parties considered Muslims only as vote banks. They were used.”
BJP will bet on Muslim candidates
In UP, the BJP is trying to increase the party’s base on the lines of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas and Sabka Vishwas. This time the BJP is also preparing to bet on Muslim candidates in the civic elections. The party will field Muslim candidates, especially in Muslim-dominated areas. If sources are to be believed, the minority front of the party has started preparing the list of ‘Jitau’ candidates. BJP State President Bhupendra Chaudhary will also brainstorm with the team of Minority Front next week regarding the claim of Muslims and the preparation for the civic elections.
In the National Executive of BJP in Hyderabad, PM Modi had talked about connecting Pasmanda society in the mainstream.
This time the craze of BJP increased in Muslim society
The BJP had fielded only 13 Muslim candidates in the 2017 municipal elections. Earlier in 2012, the party had fielded candidates in only 842 out of 5,148 wards. In many Muslim-majority wards, the BJP had no candidates.
At the same time, BJP contested only 844 seats in municipal corporations as against 980 councillor posts. Candidates were fielded for only 78 out of 90 seats in Varanasi Municipal Corporation, as the party did not have candidates for Muslim-majority wards. But now the situation has changed. Now a large number of Muslims are demanding BJP ticket in the municipal elections.
Most of the people who have benefited from the government’s schemes are from the minority community.
Big impact of Muslim society on 300 wards
There are about 300 such wards in UP, in which Muslim society dominates. In all these seats, the BJP did not even field candidates. There were two reasons for this. First- Muslim candidates did not want to fight on BJP ticket. Second- BJP used to avoid even fielding its candidate for fear of defeat.
This time BJP does not want to leave any stone unturned for the municipal elections to be held in UP. That is why this conference of Pasmanda society is being organized to win 300 wards of Muslim majority in UP and preparations are on to field Muslim candidates in all these seats.
BJP’s politics behind giving tickets to Muslims
The BJP, which is trying to bring new voters together, is working on making Muslims its ‘own’. For this reason, bets will be placed on Muslims in the civic elections. A BJP leader says that giving tickets to Muslims is also a part of BJP’s politics and also a necessity. In the urban body elections held in 2012, more than 30% of the municipal and nagar panchayat presidents were Muslim.
- There are 24 districts in UP where the number of Muslims is more than 20%.
- The Muslim population in 12 districts ranges from 35% to 52%.
- Sambhal, Saharanpur, Bijnor, Moradabad, Bahraich, Muzaffarnagar, Balrampur, Meerut, Amroha, Rampur, Bareilly, Shravasti have the largest Muslim population.
- In many districts including Aligarh, Moradabad, Firozabad, Sambhal, Shamli, Muslim voters are also in abundance in Nagar Panchayats.
Trying to bring vote percentage to 60% before 2024
The BJP is holding a Pasmanda Intellectual Conference to bring this vote bank in its favour. In this conference held in Lucknow about 6 days ago, along with Danish Ansari, Minister of Ansari Samaj of the government, both the Deputy CMs also attended. The BJP mission wants to bring its vote percentage to around 60% in UP before 2024, so the party’s focus is also on minorities. Following the PM’s request, Pasmanda has identified over 44,000 polling stations with a significant population of Muslims, where the focus will be. The target is to talk to at least 100 beneficiaries of the Pasmanda Muslim community in each such booth.
Morcha state president Kunwar Basit Ali says that most of the people who have benefited from the schemes of the central and state government are from the minority community. If we look at the assembly constituency-wise, about 100 beneficiaries at each booth belong to the minority community. The Minority Front has been given the responsibility of making them ‘own’.