BJP woos Muslims in Gujarat, fields over 500 minority candidates in state polls

GANDHINAGAR: The BJP may have faced criticism for stoking communal sentiments following party chief Amit Shah infamous remark that crackers will be burst in Pakistan if BJP loses in Bihar.
In its so-called Hindutva laboratory, however, the saffron party has fielded a record 500-plus Muslim candidates — out of total 8,434 — for the local body polls. Congress has given tickets to about 800 Muslims.

Reeling under the electoral drubbing in Bihar, winnability seems to be the only criteria for BJP in Gujarat, where delimitation has altered caste and community equations. Adding to the woes is the reservation stir by Patidars, a loyal BJP vote bank that has threatened to distance itself from the party.

"After debacles in Delhi and Bihar, we can't afford to lose on our home turf," said a senior BJP leader.

It was in 2010, when former chief minister Narendra Modi, in Sadbhavana mode, first fielded about 300 Muslims in local body polls. About 250 of them won.

This time around, BJP has fielded 40 per cent more Muslim candidates. Muslims comprise a little over 9 per cent of the total population of Gujarat, according to 2011 Census data.

"Not only did the experiment work last time, it helped build bridges between the community and the party. Hence, we decided to give more tickets this time," says R C Faldu, president of Gujarat BJP.

In temple town Veraval-Somnath, from where BJP veteran LK Advani kicked off his 'rath yatra' to Ayodhya in 1990, BJP has given tickets to 10 Muslim candidates — highest so far — despite opposition from local leadership.

In a first, BJP has fielded four Muslim candidates in Ahmedabad, six in Jamnagar and two in Rajkot for municipal corporation elections. Former IPS officer A I Sayyed and Wasim Ansari were the first Muslims to contest on a BJP ticket in AMC polls in 2010.

Mehboob Ali Chisti, BJP minority morcha president, said, "Of the record 500 candidates across Gujarat, 350 to 400 candidates are likely to win."

"Minorities trust BJP due to development in their areas in past five years. They got nothing during five decades of Congress rule," added Chisti.

Senior political analyst Dinesh Shukla calls this an extension of Modi's Sadbhavana. "The party has given mandate to Muslims in minority dominated areas where it has limited chance of winning. However, BJP's softening stand towards Muslims may lead to resentment among its core vote bank," he said.