Senior leader Naseemudin Siddiqui of the BSP is battling SP leader Azam Khan for the Muslim vote in UP. While the battle is neck and neck, as for now Siddiqui seems to be pulling the rug away from under Azam's feet
It is a furious battle between the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Samajwadi Party (SP) to win the Muslim vote in the crucial UP elections. And while Mayawati seems to have pulled off a coup by getting support of various prominent Muslim religious groups; the western-educated elite Muslim class and alumnus of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), are still rooting for the success of the Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance in the state polls.
These elections are also turning out to be a fight to the finish between two prominent Muslim faces, Naseemudin Siddique of the BSP and Mohamad Azam Khan of the Samajwadi Party (SP). Their respective party bosses have entrusted them with the responsibility of luring the Muslim electorate to the party fold, a crucial factor for the SP or BSP to return to the throne in Lucknow. The extent of support of Muslims to any of these parties will also expand or decrease the political clout of both these leaders, post the polls.
After the Friday sermon, here at Delhi's historic Jamia Masjid, Shahi Imam Syed Ahmed Bukhari — after blasting the SP-Congress coalition —publicly appealed to Muslims to vote for the BSP. Three other Muslim groups — Azamgarh based Rashtriya Ulema Council (RUC), All India Majlis Ulame-e-Hind (AIMUH) and The All India Ulama and Mashaikh Board (AIUMB) have also issued appeals in support of the BSP, suggesting that Siddique has pulled the rug from under Khan's feet.
Interestingly, the AIUMB had played a sheet anchor for the BJP, particularly Prime Minister Modi, to gain a foothold within the Muslim community, by helping the government to arrange the World Sufi conference in Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi last year.
It is not clear who had approached Shahi Imam to enlist his support for the BSP, but sources here said that Siddique was in touch with him, after his fallout with the SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav and a tiff with Azam Khan. Interestingly, the Imam had appealed to Muslims to vote for the SP in the 2012 UP Assembly elections.
Sources add that the Imam is learnt to be miffed with Mulayam and UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav for not making his son-in-law Umar Ali a minister. Both Umar Ali, a SP MLC, and Waseem Khan, who had been made Civil Defence Council chairman on the Imam's insistence, had resigned in 2013. Bukhari told dna that a number of SP leaders had then approached him to reconsider his decision, but his decision of opposing the SP is "final and irreversible".
Apart from the Shahi Imam, Siddique's other major coup has been to convince RUC to withdraw its 84 candidates in favour of the BSP. An influential group in Azamgarh district and around the state, the RUC had originally begun as a protest group to protest against the killing of two youth from Azamgarh in the Batla House encounter in New Delhi. Led by Maulana Aamir Rashadi Madni and Maulana Tahir Madni, it had contested 100 seats in 2012. Though, it did not win any seats, it secured nearly 6,00,000 votes.
Describing the SP-Congress alliance as "opportunistic", Maulana Rashadi told dna, that his party withdrew from the contest after internal deliberations and to avoid any chances of division of votes that would favour the BJP. "We have sacrificed politically for the sake of avoiding a division within secular votes. Mayawati is a good administrator. We feel secure under her rule," he said.
Blaming the SP for recurrence of communal riots in the state, he also blamed Congress for toeing "soft Hindutva politics." Accusing SP national president Akhilesh Yadav of banking on political crutches — Congress — Maulana Rashadi said, "The anti-Muslim attribute of Akhilesh has been even pointed out by his father. When he could not win the confidence of his own father, then how can he win the confidence of the community?" He further stated that all the 84 candidates fielded by RUC would not be contesting the elections, and would be supporting the BSP.
"In the past, there had been efforts to bring all the political parties working for the upliftment of Muslims under one umbrella, but it failed. This led to scattering of the Muslim votes," Rashadi said.
He said Mayawati has much to credit for the welfare of minorities, like setting up of an Urdu, Arabic, Persian University in Lucknow and constituting a separate department for Unani medicine. Muslim support is crucial for the calculations of both the political formations. Mulayam Singh and Akhilesh have reposed faith on Khan to mesmerize Muslim votes for the sake of the SP, even annoying all other leaders within their ranks and outside.
Similarly, Mayawati is also banking upon Siddiqui to wean away Muslims from the SP, who have been the main anchors of its victories so far.
While Siddique has successfully enlisted support of religious groups, Khan has pulled alumnus of the AMU and modern looking Muslims to support the SP-Congress alliance. Countering these religious groups, including the Shahi Imam's appeal, former Rajya Sabha MP Mohamamd Adeeb, prominent lawyers ZK Faiza and Ilyas Malik asked for supporting the SP-led alliance to halt the march of the BJP.
All of them came down heavily on Mayawati's style of functioning, calling it "undemocratic" and "autocratic." Ilyas Malik said they have issued an appeal after touring various parts of the state and found that this alliance was the best bet for Muslims and secular votes.
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