Bulandshahr: Muslims play ball with Kalyan

A fair sprinkling of Muslim villages in Bulandshahr are romancing the BJP and being open about their affair.

If politics is the art of the possible, this is its most graphic illustration. A fair sprinkling of Muslim villages in Bulandshahr are romancing the BJP and being open about their affair. The candidate which the BJP is selling, with some success, to the Muslim audience is Kalyan Singh, the man who figuratively presided over the demolition of the Babri Masjid as the chief minister of UP 11 years ago.

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Muslims comprise the largest segment of the 12.26 lakh voters in this constituency. A large chunk is expected to vote for Badr-ul-Islam, the Lok Dal candidate supported by the SP. But the breach made in this votebank by the BJP is the feature of the election.

"Vajpayee zindabad, Kalyan Singh zindabad," chant animated crowds in Akbarpur, as they welcome a team of BJP canvassers led by Kalyan's son and proxy, Rajbir. The scene is repeated in neighbouring Kamalpur and Asifabad Chandpura, which has 100 per cent Muslim population.

Whether it's Akbarpur, Asifabad or Kamalpur, the common sentiment is that the parties they voted for earlier cashed in on emotion but cheated on development. They're now willing to tango with the 'enemy' if only he can deliver.