By Kulsum Mustafa
If democracy is all about numbers, it is primarily the minority that is holding up majority hope for the Samajwadi Party and its alliance partners in the crucial second phase of the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. Out of the nine Western-Central situated districts going to polls on February 14, six have a Muslim dense population. With over 60 percent minority votes in Rampur and Moradabad, the percentage is over 40 percent in Saharanpur, Bijnor, Amroha, Sambhal, Bareilly, Badaun, and Shahjahanpur. This phase, therefore, promises a bumper vote yield for the SP alliance.
On Saturday, as the dust settled down on electioneering in these districts wherein 586 candidates are contesting for the 55 seats, political calculations gained momentum. In the 2017 assembly polls here the BJP had won 38, SP 15, and SP’s alliance partner Congress had got two seats.
Minority supported Akhilesh in 2017 polls
Chief of SP, Akhilesh Yadav had got full support from the minority even in the 2017 elections. Ten, out of the party’s 15 winners were from the minority. However, the bigger chunk of Hindu votes, especially that of the Jats, OBC, and Dalits had gone to the BJP and its allies. Polarization through aggressive Hindutva agenda, instilling fear of Muslim appeasement were moves that succeeded in the majority community voter shunning SP totally in 2017.
Five years later Akhilesh has attempted to work on all these factors. He has made a pre-poll alliance with the popular leaders of all castes. Swami Prasad Maurya, Om Prakash Rajbhar, and Jayanat Chaudhury are part of the SP coalition that is fighting the BJP in the 2022 assembly polls. Over the months Akhilesh has also collected an interesting collage of candidates from other parties which includes Dharma Singh Saini, a Yogi Adityanath government minister who switched to SP after the polls were declared.
It is said that the party has also made strategic secret pacts with farmers’ bodies which is giving the party a lot of ground support. Angry and feeling let down at the treatment meted out to them by the BJP, the farmers are in sync with SP sentiments o oust- BJP as they say they cannot trust it and fear BJP will make things difficult for the farmers if they come back to power.
Azam Khan, Abdullahh Khan
With Mohammad Azam Khan behind the bars for over two years now, the BJP had through its political clout attempted to keep SP without any strong Muslim face. But here too Akhilesh turned the tables on them. Like last time, this time to he gave both Azam Khan and his son Abdullah Khan tickets to contest elections. Azam Khan, though still in jail has been fielded from his stronghold Rampur seat. Son Abdullah, given bail very recently will contest from Swar.
An interesting here that must be mentioned is that Nawab Kazim Ali Khan, the sworn enemy of Azam Khan who had all along been fighting on the Congress banner from Rampur is this time contesting on BJP alliance partner Apna Dal Sonelal. His son Haider Ali Khan, also from Apna Dal is pitted against Abdullah As Anupriya Patel’s Apna Dal is an ally of the BJP these two contestants will raise the anti- BJP sentiments which will benefit the Khans.
Azam, who has been in jail for over two years was denied bail despite appealing to the Supreme Court and his, Abdullah was also given bail very recently. On the other hand, Ashish Mishra, son of Union minister Teni was given bail despite serious charges of the alleged murder of farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri Farmers’ October 3, Farmers’ protest. This has created a strong sympathy factor around the two SP leaders. It has angered not just the minority but also the Farmers. The latter have expressed their anger at this protection being given to a criminal just because he is a Union minister’s son.
At his election rallies in these constituencies, Akhilesh has blasted the BJP and said that “Azam Khan is in jail for building university, son of a Union minister is out of jail” in the case of running over farmers.
These elections are being looked at by all those who value the secular values enshrined in the Indian Constitution and want the money and muscle power to be minimized. Therefore a section of media keeps highlighting interesting facts that may give a true picture of the election scene and also let the voters take an unbiased decision on whom to vote.
Richest, poorest candidates
An interesting fact here is that the Nawab Rampur royal family scion Kazim Ali Khan is the richest contestant among those in the fray in the second phase. According to the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), which has analyzed the self-sworn affidavits of the candidates Kazim Khan has declared assets worth Rs 296 crores. The poorest, with assets of just Rs 6700 is Sanjay Kumar who is contesting as an independent from Shahjahanpur seat.
Another interesting fact is that 114 candidates in the fray in this phase are educated only till the eighth standard and 12 contestants have declared themselves to be “illiterate”.
| Posted by Sameer Khan | 
