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This story is from October 21, 2014

Muslim representation in Maharashtra assembly declines further

Before the Hyderabad-based Owaisi brothers successfully brought their party here, some Muslims had identified with the Samajwadi Party (SP) and some with the “secular” Congress and NCP.
Muslim representation in Maharashtra assembly declines further
MUMBAI: In an election where the hawkish All India Majlise Ittihadul Muslimeen (MIM) made an impressive debut, signalling a possible shift in Maharashtra’s Muslim politics, the number of Muslims voted into the assembly declined further. Both developments worried a section of community leaders.
Before the Hyderabad-based Owaisi brothers successfully brought their party here, some Muslims had identified with the Samajwadi Party (SP) and some with the “secular” Congress and NCP.
Now though, political observers say, the picture has changed. Many Muslims have deserted SP, while some have sided with Shiv Sena and BJP.
Does MIM’s debut threaten Samajwadi Party? “MIM is like MNS, which came in with a bang in 2009, winning 13 seats, but has been reduced to one seat this year. MIM too will meet the same fate since it relies on its leaders’ rhetorical speeches. Muslims will tire of the rhetoric just as Maharashtrians lost faith in MNS,” said SP leader Abu Asim Azmi, who was the party’s sole winning candidate.
Many see MIM’s victory as a result of Congress and NCP’s failure to address the issues faced by the Muslim community. “MIM fielded candidates in some areas with strong Muslim presence and tapped into the community’s anger. In several constituencies where Muslims make up a sizeable portion of the population, like Bandra (West), Kurla and Anushakti Nagar, a section of the community backed BJP or Sena candidates. It shows that saffron parties are no longer untouchables for Muslims,” said senior community leader Ghulam Peshimam.
“A consolidation of votes along religious lines,” many believe, paved the victory of MIM’s Waris Pathan in Byculla and Imtiaz Jaleel in Aurangabad Central. “Congress and NCP wouldn’t field Muslim candidates from Muslim-dominated constituencies Byculla and Aurangabad Central, believing that these candidates would not get non-Muslim votes. MIM candidates’ victory proved that consolidated Muslim votes can be enough to secure a win,” said All India Milli Council’s M A Khalid.
Khalid maintained that SP in Maharashtra was never Muslims’ preferred choice; it received support in a few constituencies with high concentration of north Indian Muslims. “If it was the first choice of most Muslims, Azmi’s son Farhan wouldn’t have lost in Muslim-dominated Bhiwandi East,” he said.
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