All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) spokesperson Sajjad Nomani’s appeal to Muslim community to vote 100 percent echoing the Congress party’s ideology. In the past Congress party leaders Shanker Sinh Vaghela and Kamalnath had appealed to the Muslims in their respective States to vote upto 90 per cent or even more clearly shows that there is coherence in the idea between the AIMPLB and the Congress party.
Though Sajjad Nomani’s appeal for more voting is only symbolic as Muslim vote up to their maximum in any area across the country. Muslims also voted tactically and strategically. Muslims know the value of their voting and don’t miss to vote when their vote matters most. Rampur Lok Sabha by-poll is a case in point. In 2023 by-poll was held in Rampur LS seat as incumbent MP Mr. Azam Khan disqualified on 27 October 2022 as The Rampur court had sentenced Mr. Khan to three years of imprisonment in the hate speech case of 2019.
In 2019 when Azam Khan won the LS election the voting percentage was 63.19 per cent which dropped to less than half in the by-poll to just 31.40 per cent. The voting per cent was low in the by-poll so the BJP candidate Ghanshyam Singh Lodhi won the seat. The Muslims did not vote in abundance as they knew that their voting did not matter in government formation. While again in the 2024 LS election the voting in Rampur LS seat has increased to 55.90 per cent and again the Samajwadi party won the seat by defeating the BJP’s sitting MP Ghanshyam Singh Lodhi.
The voting percent in Rampur Lok Sabha seat in three LS elections within five years’ clearly demonstrates that Muslim knew strategic voting and they as per the situation desired.
In the last three Lok Sabha elections Dhubri Lok Sabha seat in Assam has the distinction of highest voting percentage. In 2014, 2019 and in 2024 the voting percent on the seat was 88.36, 90.66 and 92.08.
Even State-wise if we analyse the voting pattern of the Lok Sabha seats then in Bihar the Lok Sabha seats in Seemanchal region beat rest of the State. The LS seats in Seemanchal region compete among themselves for highest voting percent in the last many elections. In Bihar in 2024 four Muslim dominated LS seats witnessed the highest voting percentage. The seats Katihar, Supaul, Purnia and Kishanganj witnessed voting in descending order.
In Uttar Pradesh in 2024 LS election Muslim dominated LS seats Saharanpur and Amroha seats were in top four seats in voting percent. In 2019 in UP Amroha LS seat has the highest voting percentage too.
West Bengal has been known for high voting percent since days of Communist rule. In WB barring Kolkata and some other urban dominated LS seats most of the seats witness 70 percent plus voting is usual. In West Bengal non-Muslim seats give stiff competition to Muslim dominated LS seats like Murshidabad and Maldaha North and Maldaha South LS seats. In West Bengal barring some seats most of the seats have high Muslim concentration.
Lakshadweep Lok Sabha seat has high Muslim concentration. The seat since 1967 witnessed 80 percent plus voting since 1967 LS elections. Even before implementation of the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) the seat witnessed high voting percentages. After starting EVMs in voting the voting process becomes easy and less time consuming. In EVMs it takes less time in the voting process and people don’t have to stand in the voting queue for such a long period as during the ballot paper days.
