A representation image showing students studying at a Madrasa (Source: Scroll)
The Manager Association Arabic Madaris U.P. has formally backed Samajwadi Party (SP) candidates contesting the October 23 Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council elections from teachers’ and graduates’ constituencies. Its resolution, dated October 16, records a unanimous decision to support nine candidates and calls on eligible voters, particularly young people, to help secure their victory.
The endorsement, many have described as a political ‘fatwa’, raises a broader question: is the Samajwadi Party using religious and madrasa-linked networks to consolidate Muslim electoral support while intensifying its political confrontation with the Yogi Adityanath government?
The association’s resolution, signed by provincial president Ayaz Mustafa Khan, followed a meeting of madrasa managers from several districts. The organisation is registered under number 00517, with its headquarters in Lucknow and a camp office in Balrampur.
The resolution names six candidates for teachers’ constituencies and three for graduates’ constituencies.
The candidates endorsed for teachers’ constituencies are Dr Sanjay (Sanjayan) Tripathi from Gorakhpur-Faizabad, Lal Bihari Yadav from Varanasi, Sushil Kumar from Lucknow, Dr Akash Agrawal from Agra, Danish Akhtar from Moradabad-Bareilly and Nitin Tomar from Meerut.
समाजवादी पार्टी एक राजनैतिक दल है जिसको उत्तर प्रदेश के मदरसा टीचर-मैनेजर के एसोसिएशन ने आगामी चुनाव में समर्थन का यह फतवा दिया है।
सरकारी तनख़्वाह से पलने वाले सरकार के नौकरों का संगठन चुनाव में पोलिटिकल पार्टी को समर्थन देने की राजनीति कैसे कर सकता हैं ?
उत्तर प्रदेश में टैक्सपेयर के पैसे से तनख्वाह ले कर मौज कर रहे मदरसों का शिक्षा से तो कोई वास्ता नहीं है।
इसके मालिकों और मैनेजरों-उस्तादों को फ़िरक़ापरस्ती की सियासत करना है और मुसलमान तुष्टिकरण के नाम का पैसा खाना है।
उत्तर प्रदेश के रजिस्ट्रार फ़र्म्स व सोसाइटी को इस एसोसिएशन का लाइसेंस कैंसिल करना चाहिए और सरकार के मुख्यसचिव को थोड़ी रीढ़ की ताक़त दिखा कर तत्काल डिसिप्लिनरी एक्शन लेना चाहिए।
— प्रियंक कानूनगो Priyank Kanoongo (@KanoongoPriyank) October 17, 2026
For graduates’ constituencies, the association has backed Kanti Singh from Lucknow, Dr Man Singh Yadav from Allahabad-Jhansi and Shashank Yadav from Agra.
The elections are scheduled for October 23, with counting on October 27. Voting is restricted to eligible registered teachers and graduates in the respective constituencies, rather than the general electorate.
The association’s appeal goes beyond a general call for voter participation: it explicitly urges voters to ensure the victory of its preferred candidates. That direct endorsement places the organisation’s political role under scrutiny.
The endorsement raises questions about the Samajwadi Party’s minority outreach and its relationship with religious and educational networks in Uttar Pradesh.
The SP has long sought to consolidate Muslim support as part of its electoral strategy. The public backing of its candidates by an association of madrasa managers adds another dimension to that outreach, bringing religiously affiliated educational networks into the discussion around electoral mobilisation.
If such endorsements encourage voters to make electoral choices through community-based appeals rather than independent assessments of candidates and their policies.
The endorsement has also drawn attention to the relationship between madrasa management bodies, state recognition and public funding.
Uttar Pradesh has thousands of recognised madrasas operating under the state’s regulatory framework. Teachers and staff at government-aided institutions receive salaries and allowances from public funds.
The association represents madrasa managers, including those connected with institutions operating under state recognition and regulation. However, the membership breakdown and the funding status of the institutions represented by the association have not been independently established.
The episode comes amid continuing debate over madrasa education, curriculum modernisation, recruitment transparency and institutional accountability in Uttar Pradesh.
Successive governments have pursued measures relating to educational standards, attendance monitoring and administration. The association’s political endorsement has added another contentious issue to discussions about the responsibilities of madrasa management bodies.
Following the resolution, demands have emerged for the Registrar of Firms and Societies to examine whether the association’s political activities comply with its registration conditions.
The association’s resolution has placed the SP’s minority outreach under renewed scrutiny. When an organisation representing madrasa managers publicly urges voters to secure the victory of party nominees, it is reasonable to ask whether religious and educational networks are becoming instruments of electoral mobilisation.
The SP should clarify whether it coordinated with the association and whether it considers such community-linked endorsements appropriate. The association, in turn, should explain the basis of its political intervention and whether public resources or official institutional channels were involved.
The political ‘fatwa’ has put the association’s neutrality under the spotlight. Whether it also points to a coordinated mobilisation strategy by the SP remains a question requiring evidence, transparency and answers from the parties concerned.
