BJP making inroads into Muslim vote bank
The party fielded three candidates in civic polls, one of whom won and another stood second
LUCKNOW :The Bharatiya Janata Party is slowly but steadily making inroads into the Muslim vote bank in the city.
In the recent civic elections, the party fielded three Muslim candidates for the posts of corporators. One of them won, while the other two stood second and fourth in their wards.
Deputy chief minister and former mayor of Lucknow Dinesh Sharma said, “The Bharatiya Janata party never discriminates on the ground of religion, caste or community. The party gives ticket to candidates who can win the elections. This time three Muslim candidates were given tickets and one of them has won, which means the minorities have accepted the BJP and the false propaganda of the opposition of painting us as a communal party has failed. Now the minorities understand their game which is of divide and rule. BJP has always tried to work for development of everyone without any discrimination.”
This time, Faisal Ali Khan alias Faisal Nawab, son of Bukkal Nawab who has just joined the BJP, was fielded from Hussainabad ward and he won the seat.
Faisal Nawab said, “How could I win if Muslims had not voted for me? Today Muslims have understood the game played by other political parties. They realise that the BJP is not anti-Muslim. In fact, the party understands our problems and works honestly to solve them.”
Faisal Nawab got 1846 votes while his nearest rival Mohammed
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Three Muslim candidates were given tickets and one of them has won, which means the minorities have accepted the BJP
DINESH SHARMA, deputy CM
Shakeel of the Congress got 1529 votes, Nusrat Hussain of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) got 1435 , Munna Hashmi, an independent, got 1280 votes while the Samajwadi Party candidate Syed Sajid Ali was pushed to a poor fifth position.
In Mallahi Tola II ward, the BJP fielded Nazuk Jehan, wife of Kabban Nawab who also joined the BJP recently. But she lost to her nearest rival Marzia Bano who was an independent.
The solace for the BJP here is that it stood first among the political parties. winner Marzia Bano got 1736 votes, Nazuk Jehan got 932 votes, Mohammed Faiz of Aam Aadmi Party got 616 votes and Ali Abbas of Samajwadi Party stood a poor fourth with 574 votes.
In Kalbe Abid I ward, Javed Abbas of BJP (who is said to be close to minister of state for waqf Mohsin Raza) finished fourth. Javed Abbas got 764 votes while winner Tanveer Hussain, an independent, got 2039 votes.
Newly elected mayor Sanyukta Bhatia said, “The BJP is a party of all religions and we believe in Vasudhaiv Kutumbkam (all the world is a family). In the mayoral polls too, BJP received a good chunk of votes in Muslim areas.”