Mumbai, Nov 14 (IANS) A day after a prominent Muslim intellectual extended support to 269 candidates of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) for the Maharashtra Assembly polls, differences cropped up among other leaders of different backgrounds, here on Thursday.
The globally acclaimed Shaikh Khalil-Ur-Rahman Sajjad Nomani, Member of the powerful All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) published a list of 269 MVA candidates, plus 19 of other parties who he and his groups would back in the November 20 elections, irrespective of their caste or religion.
They comprise 170 Marathas/OBCs, 53 from SC/STs, 23 Muslims, 40 from other communities/groups, besides 19 more from parties like Samajwadi Party, All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen, CPM, CPI, PWP, and a few independents.
“The intention to extend our support is to defeat the forces that are challenging the Indian Constitution. The candidates whom we back have been selected after widespread research, ground reports, surveys and other criteria over the past month,” said Nomani.
Since the Maharashtra Assembly elections have generated considerable attention in the current political scenario, Nomani said that the Muslim intellectuals, scholars, activists, and opinion makers from across communities in the state have great expectations from the contending Opposition political parties.
Among the prominent MVA candidates who got the thumbs up from Nomani and his group include Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Aditya Thackeray, Kedar Dighe, Vinod Ghosalkar and Varun Desai; Congress’ M. Arif Naseem Khan, Amin Patel, Asif Zakaria, Aslam Shaikh; Nationalist Congress Party (SP)’s Jayant R. Patil, Yugendra S. Pawar, Jitendra Awhad, Fahad Ahmad, among many others.
Among other parties, the SP State President Abu Asim Azmi, his colleague Rais Shaikh; CPM’s Vinod Nikole and Jiva Pandu Gavit; CPI’s Budha Pawara; PWP’s Chitralekha Patil, plus some others.
However, the move has evoked sceptical reactions from other prominent minority leaders like Muslim scholar and intellectual Maulana Burhanuddin Qasmi, Muslim Welfare Association’s Saleem Sarang and more.
“I am not in favour of such a blanket appeal from any religious scholar. Such endorsements may actually create a negative polarization instead of strengthening the secular, democratic forces during the heated poll campaign,” Qasmi told IANS.
“Voting is an individual, personal right granted by the Constitution, so no such ‘fatwa’ can dictate the decision of any voters. Maulana Nomani’s endorsements are not acceptable to the broader Muslim community,” said Sarang, who belongs to the ruling MahaYuti ally Nationalist Congress Party led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.
Qasmi pointed out how a few dedicated but apolitical Muslim activists are working silently among the masses to propagate the ‘Idea Of India’, which would be the best way to bring about positive changes through the electoral process in the country.
Sarang lamented that though the NCP and Ajit Pawar have fielded five Muslims, Nomani and his ilk have totally ignored all its candidates in favour of some other ‘weaker’ nominees from the Opposition parties/bloc.
A wary shopkeeper from Andheri, Ghulam Rasool Shaikh said that the list of candidates announced by Nomani and others is just ‘indicative’ as it has not banned the minorities from voting for any other candidates considering other local factors.
“We are hopeful that all the people (electorate) will take part in the election as it will have repercussions on the country’s future and symbolise the coming days for democracy,” said Nomani, appealing to the masses to come in huge numbers to vote.
Convenor of Maharashtra Muslim Voters Council Abdul Bari Khan said that Nomani’s statements have created confusion among the minority voters in the state, apprehending that “it could scatter Muslim votes and lead to a Haryana-like situation post-polls”.
All the MVA parties, plus SP, AIMIM and others are engaged in a shrill campaign to bag the votes of the minorities, while challenging the ruling sides’ slogans like ‘batenge to katenge’ ‘ek hai to safe hain’, etc.
(Quaid Najmi can be contacted at: qnajmi@gmail.com)
–IANS
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