Over 35% voters in Bandra (East) constituency are Muslims; meat-eating voters from other communities also irked
Shiv Sena candidate Trupti Sawant, widow of former MLA Prakash Bala Sawant whose death necessitated the April 11 by-poll in Bandra East constituency, was tipped to have an edge over Congress candidate Narayan Rane, but she is likely to have a tough contest now, say analysts.
Speculation that the state government, after imposing a complete ban on beef a month ago, may ban other meats spread like wildfire in the constituency on Tuesday, making many citizens, especially meat-eating ones, question the logic.
The rumours had roots in the statement of the government counsel who told the Bombay high court on Monday about the possibility of extending the beef ban to other meats as well.
Observers feel that the issue may negatively impact the Muslim vote bank, a big chunk of which supported Bala Sawant, who had a secular image. The number of Muslim voters in the area is as high as 85,000, nearly 35% of the total voters. "Besides, many Maharashtrians, who form nearly 50% of the voter base in the constituency, and North Indians also consume meat. All of them are questioning the rationale behind such decisions and wondering about the happenings in the state. Since Sena is an ally in the government, Sawant would feel the pinch," said an observer.
Rahat Shaikh, a housewife from Behrampada, a Muslim dominated area in the constituency, said,"The BJP government won the elections on development plank but it is only working on frivolous issues to hurt the sentiments of Muslims."
Interestingly, BJP rivals Rane and MIM candidate Rahbar Khan who have been raking the beef ban in their electoral campaigns to score with the electorate from the start, have cranked up the volume of their rhetoric.
Congress leader and former MLA Krishna Hegde charged the government with diverting people's attention from grave issues to ridiculous ones. "Not only Muslims, many Hindus rely on leather and meat business. Talks of banning other meat is a deliberate attempt of the BJP-Sena government to divert people's attention from its failure. Sena did nothing in the constituency to address civic issues in the past many years despite being in power at BMC."
Trupti Sawant couldn't be reached for comment.
MIM's Rahbar Khan ridiculed the government for taking up this issue ahead of the polls. "It's en eye-opener for the people who supported them and brought them to power. Now, the same government is repealing their right to eat. Hindus, Muslims, Dalits and Christians, all are pained with these decisions. They will teach the dispensation a lesson in the by-poll."
Khan also targeted Rane and Congress. "It was the Congress government in 1976 which brought a ban on cow slaughter. And it was Rane-led Sena government which amended the Act to extend the ban to bulls and bullocks. Now, Rane and Congress both are shedding crocodile tears for petty gains."
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