Minorities in Bengal likely to support TMC during Lok Sabha elections
Kolkata: Minorities in West Bengal, who form about thirty per cent of the electorate, are likely to vote for TMC to stem the BJP’s advance, despite the presence of a secular alternative in the form of the Left-Congress alliance, community leaders said. Is.
According to minority leaders, Muslims in West Bengal, who are decisive in many Lok Sabha seats, are inclined towards the Mamata Banerjee-led party, which they see as a credible force in contrast to the Left-Congress alliance.
This inclination is particularly evident in districts like Murshidabad, Malda and North Dinajpur, where minorities are in majority.
With the Indian Secular Front (ISF) opting to go solo, efforts to woo the minorities may become more challenging for the Left Congress, especially as the saffron party looks to capitalize on various polarizing issues like Ram Temple and the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). with.
West Bengal boasts of the second largest number of Muslim voters in the country after Kashmir and Assam.
Even though there is some dissatisfaction within the community regarding the state government, religious minority leaders believe it is important to vote for TMC to counter the BJP.
Imam may appeal to community members to ensure that there is no division in minority votes, which contributed to the BJP’s success in minority-dominated areas in 2019.
Imam-e-Kazi Fazlur Rehman said, “It should be ensured that there is no division in minority votes. TMC is the best choice in most of the seats, while in some seats of North Bengal, Left and Congress are best suited.” Deen, who leads prayers on the Red Road in Kolkata every year.
Mohammed Yahya, president of the West Bengal Imam Association, said minorities in districts like Murshidabad, Malda and North Dinajpur may face a tough choice between the Left-Congress and TMC candidates.
“In these districts, the division of minority votes resulted in the BJP winning one seat in North Dinajpur and one in Malda in 2019. However, this time, the minorities are expected to rally behind the TMC, similar to their support in the 2021 assembly elections. Hopefully,” he added.
Imams are expected to deliver this message to minorities from 40,000 mosques across the state.
Due to this voting block split, the BJP had won Maldah North and Raiganj seats in North Bengal in 2019, where minorities account for about 45 per cent of the voters.
In a state where minorities constitute nearly 30 per cent of the voters, their influence extends to 16-18 Lok Sabha seats, making them a coveted voting block for all parties.
Several parliamentary seats in both North and South Bengal, such as Raiganj, Cooch Behar, Balurghat, Malda North, Malda South, Murshidabad, Diamond Harbour, Uluberia, Howrah, Birbhum, Kanthi, Tamluk and Joynagar, have significant Muslim populations.
Mohammed Kamruzzaman, general secretary of the All Bengal Minority Youth Federation, whose organization has the largest following among Muslim youth in the state, said, “In Bengal, TMC is the most reliable force when it comes to fighting against the BJP.” Sabir Ahmed, a researcher at Nobel laureate Amartya Sen’s Pratichi Trust, believes that TMC’s public welfare schemes have garnered strong support from minorities.
“The welfare schemes of the TMC government have played an important role in the preferences of minority voters,” he said.
CPI(M) and Congress highlight livelihood issues, scams, anti-incumbency wave and rise in religious-caste sentiments as factors eroding TMC’s hold on minority votes – defeat in Sagardighi bypoll in 2023 is one indicator .
CPI(M) state secretary Mohammad Saleem said, “Minority votes are returning to the Left and Congress and this has made TMC and BJP nervous.”
The defeat on the minority-dominated seat in the by-election had sent a shock wave through the TMC camp and the ruling party had taken steps to reach out to the community.
The entry of the Abbas Siddiqui-led Indian Secular Front (ISF) into the political arena of Bengal was a response to the absence of a strong advocate for Muslims in the political landscape of the state.
Although now led by its lone MLA Naushad Siddiqui, the ISF, despite securing only 1.35 per cent of popular votes in the 2021 West Bengal Assembly election, still poses a threat to the mainstream parties for the state’s 30 per cent Muslim vote share. Is seen as.
ISF MLA Siddiqui commented, “This is not about bailout politics. Minorities in Bengal are fed up with TMC’s corruption and misgovernance.”
The ISF, which has decided to contest the elections alone, had announced candidates for six Lok Sabha seats – Jadavpur, Balurghat, Uluberia, Barrackpore, Diamond Harbor and Basirhat.
Historically, the minorities initially supported the Hindu Mahasabha and the Jana Sangh.
