Due to activities of so-called secular parties the ongoing Maharashtra Assembly election is on verge of polarisation. As Maharashtra Assembly election approaching, the true face and character of the so-called secular parties are coming to fore. In a major political development All India Muslim Personal Law Board spokesperson Sajjad Nomani held a press conference and openly expressed All India Muslim Personal Law Board’s support for Maha Vikas Aghadi besides others on some seats too including the Samajwadi Party and the AIMIM.
The AIMPLB extended support to Mahavikas Aghadi candidates on 269 seats and to other parties on 16 other seats. The candidates supported by the AIMPLB include 170 Marathas and OBCs, 40 from other communities, 53 from SC/ST and 23 Muslims. Not only that but the AIMPLB had also applealed to all the citizens for 100% voting. In reality the Muslims already vote to their maximum, whereas for Hindus this is a tradition to follow. Hindus vote very less than their voting capacity. In the last Maharashtra Assembly elections, the voting percentage was 61.44. In the forthcoming Assembly elections if the voting percent will be more than 2019 Assembly election then it would be Hindus retaliation against this support of the AIMPLB.
Responses to this step of the AIMPLB have also started and for the first time, the Jain community has announced its support to the Bharatiya Janata Party led Mahayuti without any strings attached. In the past the AIMPLB has supported parties many times but it not expressed its support for the Conggress party in such clear terms.
But this fact is also worth considering as to why All India Muslim Personal Law has extended such support to parties just a week before the voting.The main reason for this is tYogi Adityanath’s slogan ‘Batenge to Katenge’ changing the entire electoral scenario notonly in Maharashtra and Jharkhand but its sentiments can be echoed from entire country.
A new support like that of the Jain community for BJP and NDA has come in Jharkhand where a large section of Yadavs has supported the BJP and the NDA. This becomes even more important because Lalu Yadav’s party is also part of the INDI Alliance. However, friendly conflict is also taking place between the Congress and the RJD on two seats in Jharkhand. The BJP has given full respect to Yadavs and anointed Mohan Yadav as the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh. Now the positive attitude of Yadavs towards BJP has emerging.
This support of the AIMPLB to Mahavikash Aghadi is also polarizing the Maharashtra elections. Besides, Nomani’s announcement that AIMPLB will support other candidates on 16 seats also implies that it will maintain distance from the Congress party or Mahavikash Aghadi on these seats. Due to this, the Congress party may has to face more difficulties in winning the election on these seats.
Politically, Muslims have to suffer losses in those states where there is a direct contest between the BJP-led alliance and the Congress-led alliance like Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Jharkhand and many other States in the last few elections. The Congress party knows that Muslims in these States have no option other than Congress party and they take advantage of this.In States like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka, West Bengal etc., where the Congress party competes with local and regional parties other than the BJP, Muslims get their due in terms of candidatures and other benefits.
Now sensing the polarisation, the Congress party is in deep troubled but its problem is that it cannot even deny the support of All India Muslim Personal Law. In case of rejection, the Congress party may suffer huge loss.
