Urban polls: BJP’s outreach creates buzz about fielding Muslim candidates in western Uttar Pradesh
The BJP has been tactically aiming to win over the most backward among the Muslims, ones who have been among the beneficiaries of welfare schemes
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has launched an aggressive Muslim-outreach campaign ahead of the forthcoming urban polls in Uttar Pradesh.
Back-to-back functions featuring top ministers of Yogi government 2.0 are lined up till Tuesday.
Amid the buzz that the party could field Muslim candidates, mostly in western U.P, in these urban elections, the BJP has been tactically aiming to win over the most backward among the Muslims, ones who do odd jobs for survival and have been among the beneficiaries of the various schemes of the “double engine” BJP governments at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh.
The outreach coincides with two surveys — one to identify unaffiliated madrasas and the other to check revenue records of waqf properties. The campaign is aimed at “allaying apprehensions” of the community while showcasing how under BJP, the poorest of the Muslims have benefitted.
The BJP’s minority wing is also preparing a list of such minorities who have benefitted from government schemes. Yet another plan is underway to connect with minority women through those who benefitted from the scrapping of the instant triple talaq divorce practice.
“The community’s taraqqi (development), taleem (education) and tahaffuz (security), were possible only under the BJP which didn’t treat them as “vote bank and now, we have proof in terms of beneficiaries across all communities, including Muslims,” said Javed Malik, the BJP’s west UP functionary. He has planned Tuesday’s Pasmanda (backward) Muslim outreach that will feature deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya. On Sunday, the other deputy chief minister Brajesh Pathak had attended a similar function.
On Monday, the junior minority minister in UP, Danish Azad Ansari, the lone Muslim face of the Yogi 2.0 government, attended the programme ‘Taleem-o-Tarbiyat (education to entrepreneurship)’.
Post Diwali, the Yogi 2.0 government is set to hold job fairs in minority localities as part of efforts to build bridges with the community that has largely been skeptical of the BJP so far.
But, the BJP leaders point to the recent wins in the Lok Sabha by-polls in Muslim-dominated constituencies from Rampur and Azamgarh, to state that the script is changing.
The BJP has now set its sight on minority dominated wards. Ahead of the civic polls, the party is identifying those who have benefitted from the schemes of BJP government in these wards.
“The BJP will perhaps like to see the performance of the Muslim candidates at the ward level in minority dominated pockets and on the basis of response and feedback their participation generates, the BJP leadership might then begin planning for 2024 LS polls. It is a smart political strategy, too, as it means the exercise will also be helpful in dividing the community vote and thus checking it from consolidating in favour of any BJP opponent,” said Irshad Ilmi, a political expert.
In west UP, the BJP will be up against the SP-RLD alliance, the BSP, AAP and the Congress.
“There are many who have benefitted from the schemes of double engine government. They all vouch for BJP. Naturally, they will be there in civic polls, either as contestants or campaigners,” said BJP’s minority wing chief Basit Ali.
Earlier this month, several Muslim women beneficiaries of various government schemes had sent ‘thank you Modi’, postcards to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Lucknow’s Kasaibada locality.
“In their letters, the Muslim women wrote how they have benefited under BJP and Modi ji. The free ration, scrapping of instant divorce practice, free Covid vaccination, Ujjawala free cooking gas connection and free houses are benefiting them as much as anyone else,” said BJP MLC Mukesh Sharma.
