Parties field no Muslim candidate, again

RANCHI : None of the mainstream parties, including the Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), have fielded any Muslim candidate from eight of the 14 Lok Sabha seats, which are in the general category in the state, political observers have pointed out.

This is the second consecutive Lok Sabha elections after 2019 in which the mainstream parties fielded no Muslim candidate.

Congress fielded former MP

Furqan Ansari from the Godda Lok Sabha seat in the 2014 elections. Ansari was in the race for a ticket this time as well, but Congress has fielded Pradeep Yadav from Godda.

Independent political observers said that while the BJP not fielding a Muslim candidate “is a known fact”, other mainstream parties not fielding any candidate from the community, which makes up around 14 per cent of the state population, is a result of the prevailing political scenario and the internal dynamics of the parties. “The kind of polarised politics we are witnessing now is one determinant of why the mainstream parties, especially those who are part of the INDIA bloc, are shying away from giving tickets to leaders of this community. These parties also have to balance the internal dynamics of the party as there are several power-seekers staking claim to party tickets,” said Alok Gupta, professor of political science at the Central University of Jharkhand.

The JMM and the Congress leaders, however, underline that there are several other factors at play for not giving tickets.

“We are contesting only five seats in the state, of which three are reserved for scheduled tribes. Moreover, it’s not that we do not give representation to the community. Recently, we sent Sarfaraz Ahmed to the Rajya Sabha. Our MLA Hafizul Ansari is a minister in the state cabinet,” said JMM spokesperson Manoj Pandey.

Congress spokesperson Sonal Tiwary echoed a similar sentiment. “There are many factors at play while deciding on a candidate. Our legislature party leader belongs to the community and is also a minister in the cabinet,” he said.