Kundarki: In a dramatic turn of events in the Kundarki Assembly constituency, Ramveer Thakur, the lone Hindu candidate in a Muslim-majority area, has scripted history. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate won the bye elections by margin of more than one lakh votes, leaving behind 11 Muslim contenders in a seat long considered a stronghold of the Samajwadi Party (SP).
Thakur’s win marks BJP’s return to Kundarki after a 30-year hiatus. The last BJP candidate to win the constituency was Chandra Vijay Singh in 1993. This victory is being viewed as a major breakthrough for the saffron party in an area with 60 per cent Muslim population, part of the Moradabad district and west UP’s Sambhal Lok Sabha seat.
Breaking SP’s Stronghold
Kundarki has historically been dominated by the Samajwadi Party. SP’s Mohammad Rizwan, a seasoned politician with nearly four decades of experience, was the I.N.D.I. Alliance’s pick for the bypolls. Rizwan first won the seat in 2002 but lost to the Bahujan Samaj Party’s (BSP) Akbar Husain in 2007. He regained the seat in 2012 and 2017, cementing Kundarki as an SP bastion.
Despite his political acumen, Rizwan lost to Thakur. The SP’s decline is attributed to anti-incumbency sentiment, reports of factionalism among local leaders, and a split in Muslim votes that appears to have favoured the BJP.
Muslim Vote Split and BJP’s Strategy
The Kundarki bypoll saw a crowded field of 11 Muslim candidates, including Mohammad Rizwan (SP), Mohammad Varish (All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen), Chand Babu (Aazad Samaj Party – Kanshi Ram), and Rafatullah (BSP). The division of the Muslim vote is seen as a significant factor in Thakur’s lead.
Adding to this, the BJP employed a robust campaign strategy. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath spearheaded an aggressive campaign in Kundarki, emphasising the party’s slogan of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas” and reaching out to minority voters. The BJP’s Muslim wing also campaigned intensively, with Thakur personally engaging with the community.
Adityanath’s narrative of communal harmony and development resonated with voters, while his comment that “it takes two hands to clap” aimed to foster inclusivity. Experts suggest that a high voter turnout, combined with Hindu vote consolidation, gave the BJP an edge as minority votes likely hit saturation.
Kundarki’s Historic Bye election
The Kundarki bypoll was one of nine conducted in UP alongside Vidhan Sabha elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand. Among these, Kundarki recorded the highest voter turnout. Of the nine seats, the BJP is leading in six, SP in two, and BJP ally Rashtriya Lok Dal in one.
This election is particularly significant as it represents the BJP’s potential breakthrough in a constituency long dominated by the opposition. For SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, losing Kundarki would be a major setback, indicating cracks in the party’s traditional vote bank.
Thakur’s won the elections comfortably and routes all his Muslim rivals including SP’s Rizwan. Other prominent Muslim contenders, including AIMIM’s Mohammad Varish and BSP’s Rafatullah, failed to make significant inroads.
The BJP’s return to Kundarki, if confirmed, will signal a shift in the constituency’s political dynamics. The saffron party’s ability to consolidate Hindu votes while capitalising on a divided opposition could set the tone for its strategy in other Muslim-majority areas ahead of the 2024 general elections.
