After none from the minority community featured in its first list of 131 candidates, the BJP's minority cell has shot a letter to the party national president Amit Shah requesting him not to replicate Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh model in Rajasthan wherein denying tickets to Muslims polarized the elections that is believed to have helped the party win the elections.
"Rajasthan is not Uttar Pradesh or Gujarat. Here Hindus and Muslims live together, do business with each other and there has been no major communal strife in the past. Even chief minister Vasundhara Raje has a positive image within in the community as she appointed 5-6 Muslim leaders to the rank of state ministers," said Sadiq Khan, vice president of the BJP minority cell. He added, "Our cell also worked to bring the community close to the saffron party which they never took seriously and opted for Congress. Now, as the party is denying tickets all our efforts will be laid waste. So, the cell has requested the party president to give at least 4 tickets to the community so the party could bag a huge chunk of voters from the community," Khan said.
In 2013 the saffron party fielded four candidates, Yunus Khan, Habibur Rahman, Abdul Sageer and Salim Tanwer. Of them two - Yunus and Habibur Rahman - went on to win their seats and entered the assembly. Yunus Khan, who was elevated to the rank of a cabinet minister has also not been given a ticket in first list. Another party MLA Habibur Rahman who failed to make it to the first list has already resigned from the party and is set to join Congress. On the contrary the Congress had fielded 16 candidates in 2013, though none of them could register victory. The cell believes that community did not vote for the Congress and hence its Muslims candidate tally reduced to zero while BJP's Muslim candidates scored two seats.
"We won the seats for the party as the community shied away from polling as it was unhappy with the Gehlot government. Only 39 percent voting of the community was registered at that time. Now-we fear the community will once again vote the Congress in," a minority leader said.
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