A Hindu dominated village in Ayodhya has elected a Muslim gram pradhan in the recently concluded panchayat elections.
Residents of village Rajanpur of Mavai block in Rudauli assembly constituency elected Hafiz Azimuddin Khan as their gram pradhan (village head).
Hafiz Azim’s family is the only Muslim family in this predominantly Hindu village.
In this electoral battle for gram pradhan there were eight candidates in fray. Hafiz was the lone Muslim candidate.
Hindu candidates in the contest tried to win over constituents by promising pension, house under the PM Awas Yojana and allotment of land (patta).
But villagers voted for Hafiz Azimuddin and rejected all other candidates.
Azimuddin’s victory in Panchayat election has become a talk of the town.
Crediting his victory to Hindu-Muslim unity, Hafiz Azimuddin said: “My victory is an example of Hindu-Muslim affinity not only in village Rajanpur but entire Ayodhya.”
Listing out his priorities for the village, Azimuddin said: “All funds for gram pradhan will be utilised for development of the village. Basic amenities will be augmented, and jobs will be provided to all those entitled under the MNREGA.”
Radhay Shyam, 53, a native of village Rajanpur, was happy with Azimuddin’s victory.
{{/usCountry}}Radhay Shyam, 53, a native of village Rajanpur, was happy with Azimuddin’s victory.
{{/usCountry}}“Azimuddin’s victory is a signal of Hindu-Muslim unity in this village and the rest of Ayodhya. The day Azimuddin filed for his candidature, most of us decided to vote for him.”
Sampat Lal, 61, points out that Azimuddin’s victory will also ensure that there is no animosity between any castes in the village.
“As Hindu candidates had also sought votes on the basis of their caste, victory of any candidate other than Azimuddin might have led to bitterness between various castes of the Hindu community,” said Sampat Lal.
Due to Covid-19 pandemic, the state government has postponed oath taking ceremony of gram pradhans and zila panchayat members.
The government has also postponed election of chairman, zila panchayat and block pramukhs.
Newly elected zila panchayat members elect zila panchayat chairman in all 75 districts of the state. Now, these elections are expected to take place after June 15.
Ayodhya, around 155 km from the state capital, has been in focus for the ongoing construction work of Ram Mandir.