7 months ago
2
Muslims relationship for 17.7% of Bihar’s population, spiking to much than 40% successful bluish borderline districts, but arsenic the Assembly predetermination approaches, they are hard to spot among the campaigner lists of governmental parties. So far, nary governmental enactment has announced much than 4 Muslim candidates for the State’s 243 Assembly constituencies, isolated from the recently floated Jan Suraaj Party, which has promised to tract 40 Muslim candidates and has announced 21 truthful far.
This is contempt the information that the Muslim colonisation is implicit 20% successful 87 constituencies, making their votes a decisive origin successful immoderate candidate’s electoral fortunes. However, astir 75% of the State’s Muslims unrecorded successful bluish Bihar. In caller years, the Muslim colonisation successful the Seemanchal oregon borderline districts of Katihar, Purnea, and Araria has gone up to 40%, portion Muslims are the bulk successful Kishanganj district, outnumbering Hindus and accounting for implicit 68% of the colonisation there.
Few seats for Muslims
Nevertheless, the ruling Janata Dal (United), contesting 101 seats, has truthful acold fixed enactment tickets to conscionable 4 Muslim candidates. The Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal is yet to merchandise its last database of candidates, but has fixed tickets to lone 3 Muslims truthful far: Osama Sahab, lad of erstwhile MP Mohd. Shahabuddin, successful the Raghunathpur constituency; Yusuf Salahuddin (Simri-Bakhtiyarpur); and Mohd. Israil Mansuri (Kanti).
Among nationalist parties, the BJP has not fielded immoderate Muslims successful the 101 seats it is contesting, portion the Congress, which has not yet officially announced however galore seats it is contesting, has announced 4 Muslim candidates truthful far. Some Muslim leaders are questioning wherefore Congress person Rahul Gandhi’s calls for proportional practice bash not look to use here.
Among smaller parties, the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) is contesting 29 seats arsenic portion of the ruling NDA and is fielding a lone Muslim candidate, Mohd. Kalimuddin, successful the Bahadurganj spot successful northeastern Bihar. The different 2 NDA allies, the Jitan Ram Manjhi-led Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) and Upendra Kushwaha-led Rashtriya Lok Morcha, are each contesting six seats and are not fielding immoderate Muslims. The Jan Suraaj Party founded by erstwhile canvass strategist Prashant Kishor has announced 116 candidates truthful far, of which 21 are Muslims.
Historic underrepresentation
Historically, Bihar Muslims person ever suffered from chronic electoral underrepresentation. The fig of Muslim MLAs successful the State Assembly has ne'er crossed 10%, but marginally successful 1985. The State has lone had 1 Muslim Chief Minister, Abdul Ghafoor, who helmed the State authorities for little than 2 years successful the 1970s. Bihar has ne'er had a Muslim successful the Deputy Chief Minister post, though Ghulam Sarwar and Jabir Hussain held the positions of Assembly Speaker and Legislative Council Chairman, respectively. A fewer Muslim leaders specified arsenic Abdul Bari Siddiqui, Shakil Ahmad, Mohd. Taslimuddin, and Mohd. Zama Khan person been Cabinet Ministers.
In the 17 Assembly elections held betwixt 1952 and 2020, the State has elected lone 390 Muslim MLAs, accounting for conscionable 7.8% of each MLAs. The precocious constituent came successful 1985, erstwhile determination were 34 Muslim MLAs successful the 324-strong legislature of undivided Bihar. In the past Assembly predetermination successful 2020, lone 19 Muslim MLAs were elected to the 243-seat Assembly.
Poor and underprivileged Pasmanda Muslims person fared adjacent worse successful presumption of electoral representation. Despite the assemblage accounting for 73% of the State’s 2.3 crore Muslims, conscionable 18% of Muslim MLAs person been Pasmanda truthful far. In 2020, determination were conscionable 5 Pasmanda MLAs, 4 from the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and 1 from the Rashtriya Janata Dal.
Shifting votebanks
Muslim candidates were not peculiarly palmy adjacent erstwhile fielded successful the past Assembly predetermination successful 2020. The JD(U) had 11 Muslim candidates, each of whom mislaid the poll. The RJD had enactment 17 Muslim candidates successful the fray, of which 8 won. Of the 10 Muslim candidates fielded by the Congress, 4 had won. The AIMIM fielded 20 Muslim candidates, of which 5 won, though 4 of them switched loyalties to the RJD successful 2022. Similarly, the Bahujan Samaj Party’s lone Muslim MLA aboriginal defected to the JD(U).
RJD main Lalu Prasad Yadav utilized to boast that his party’s cardinal to electoral occurrence was the combined ‘MY’ votebank accounting for 31% of the electorate (including the 17% Muslim colonisation and the 14% belonging to the Yadav caste), who rewarded him 1990 to 2005. His winning look was shattered, however, erstwhile JD(U) main Nitish Kumar carved retired a caller votebank comprising the highly backward classes (36%), juggling the caste calculus to triumph and clasp powerfulness for astir of the past 2 decades.
Proportional representation
“I inactive bash anticipation that each secular parties similar Congress and RJD would springiness america due practice arsenic per our population, and particularly those Muslims who travel from the Pasmanda community,” Pasmanda Muslim person Ali Anwar told The Hindu. He pointed to Mr. Gandhi’s oft-repeated slogan of “Jiski jitni aabadi, usko utna hissedari (Whoever has a higher colonisation gets a higher share)”, though that was mostly utilized successful notation to caste-based preservation for acquisition and jobs, and not elections.
Muslim canvass expert Seraj Anwar is not excessively optimistic. “Muslims person go lone ballot banks for the governmental parties today. The parties cognize good which mode the Muslim votes volition spell successful which constituency, truthful they bash not springiness overmuch value to candidates from the community. The Muslim candidates who triumph the canvass either get smaller portfolios successful the Cabinet oregon alteration their governmental loyalty arsenic it suits them,” helium said.
