Jamalpur-Khadia: An meeting constituency the place Muslims make up 60 per cent of the inhabitants, Jamalpur-Khadia has remained a Congress ‘citadel’, barring as soon as in 2012 when the Bharatiya Janata Get together (BJP) gained this seat because of ‘division of Muslim votes’.
The BJP, the Congress alleges, is attempting the same ploy this time in lots of Muslim-dominated seats in and round Ahmedabad the place a lot of Muslim ‘Independents’ are contesting the meeting polls, in addition to candidates fielded by the Congress, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and the Aam Aadmi Get together (AAP).
On paper, the electoral logic is sound: with each Muslim vote solid for these Independents, the BJP stands to profit.
Imran Khedawala, the sitting MLA and Congress candidate from Jamalpur-Khadia, instructed The Print: “Jamalpur is a Muslim majority seat. Hindus represent 40 per cent of the whole vote share, whereas the remaining is Muslims. It has been a Congress gadh (citadel) since 1947. We misplaced the seat as soon as in 2012. A Muslim candidate fought election as an Unbiased and the votes have been divided. So, the BJP gained.”
The Unbiased, Sabir Kabliwala, is contesting this time on an AIMIM ticket, Khedawala stated. Including, “However our Muslim brothers are wiser than final time. They know the way these events and Unbiased candidates assist BJP’s agenda.”
The Congress termed this sample throughout Muslim-dominated seats in Gujarat as an ‘engineered’ ploy to divide Muslim votes. The BJP has fielded Muslim candidates as Independents to divide the Muslims votes, stated Congress’s nationwide spokesperson Alok Sharma. “It’s a trick that BJP routinely performs throughout the state to divide the Muslim vote,” he alleged.
Requested whether or not there was any fact to those theories, the ruling BJP claimed prior outcomes on these seats have been a results of the Congress’s lack of ability to carry on to its vote financial institution.
Bhushan Ashok Bhatt, former MLA and BJP candidate from Jamalpur, stated, “Does Congress need to say that Muslims are actually listening to BJP and changing into candidates to break their vote financial institution? The AAP, AIMIM and Unbiased candidates usually are not children. Why would they hearken to us?”
“Congress has already conceded defeat and that’s the reason they’re making such imaginary and outrageous claims. Muslims will vote for Modi ji as a result of they will reside right here peacefully and flourish. The state authorities by no means had a biassed angle in the direction of Muslims. I can’t vouch for the illiterate ones, however literate and educated Muslims are with Modi ji,” he instructed ThePrint.
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Muslim candidates galore
In Jamalpur-Khadia, 5 of the eight candidates within the fray are Muslims. In 2017, when Congress secured 58 per cent of the whole votes polled on this seat and the BJP was a distant second with 35 per cent, eight of the ten candidates have been Muslims.
This time round, the same sample might be seen in seats like Dariapur, Danilimda and Bapunagar the place Congress has sitting MLAs. In Dariapur, with a 46 per cent Muslim inhabitants, 5 of the seven candidates are Muslims. Equally, 10 of the 29 candidates are Muslims in Bapunagar the place the group makes up 28 per cent of the inhabitants.
This pattern, nevertheless, just isn’t particular to Ahmedabad district. In Godhra, a communally delicate seat in Panchmahals district, 5 of the ten candidates contesting this time are Muslims — 4 Independents and one candidate fielded by the brand new entrant AIMIM.
In keeping with Gujarat Congress vp Pankaj Patel, “This can be a trick that BJP has adopted to confuse Muslims, as they’re seen as Congress’s captive vote financial institution. Even because the Muslim group won’t ever vote for the Independents usually, they could get a number of hundred or thousand votes however within the course of, the vote share can witness a dent. That is their (BJP’s) plan. However we predict Muslims to train their franchise properly.”
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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