Updated: October 14, 2020 8:29:47 am
The degree of Muslim alienation from the Modi-led government in the Center threatens to infect Nitish. (Proceedings)
During the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, a Muslim voter in Siwan explained why they did not care that the JD (U) led by Nitish Kumar was aligned with the BJP. As reasons, he mentioned that the school uniform given to him by the Nitish government was the best dress his son had ever had, and he said that he had no problems with the BJP, “the B team” of the JD (U).
That was the time when Nitish Kumar’s popularity, still in his first full term as Chief Minister and at the height of the changes he had brought to the tired landscape of Bihar, was at its peak. In that election, the NDA under his command won 32 of the 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar. In Assembly polls that followed the next year, Nitish returned to power with 206 out of 243 seats.
JD (U) nominates 10 Muslims
It is not the same Nitish, nor is it the same NDA, with the BJP now enjoying the same turnover as the JD (U). More importantly, the degree of Muslim alienation from the Modi-led government in the Center threatens to infect Nitish. Even in the 2015 Assembly polls, with his popularity waning, Nitish had managed to retain the support of Muslims (17% of the population) in large part thanks to Mahagathbandhan’s partners, RJD and Congress. The fact that he made a change in 2017 and returned to BJP is seen as a backstab by the community.
Since then, Nitish, who once made a public demonstration of being alone in Modi’s path while still in the NDA, has relegated the leading role in the alliance in Bihar to the Prime Minister. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, which the NDA swept 39 out of 40 seats in Bihar, Congress could win only the Kishanganj seat mainly due to its Muslim population of over 70%. AIMIM was third in that seat.
The JD (U) that once had leaders like Ali Anwar, Dr. Ejaj Ali and Dr. Shakil Ahmed in its ranks, now has virtually no big Muslim names apart from the MLC and former Rajya Sabha MP Ghulam Rasool Baliyawi .
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With 10 of the 115 constituencies it is contesting as part of the NDA falling into Muslim-dominated areas, the JD (U) has been highlighting measures taken for the benefit of the community in the last 15 years of the Nitish government. The 10 seats are Sikta (candidate Firoz Ahmed Khursheed); Sheohar (Sarfuddin); Araria (Shagufta Azeem); Thakurganj (Naushad Alam); Kochadhaman (Mohammed Mujahid); Amour (Saba Zafar); Rural Darbhanga (Faraz Fatmi); Kanti (Mohammed Jamal); Marhoura (Altaf Raju); and Mahua (Aasma Parbeen).
JD (U) national spokesperson, KC Tyagi, said: “From the cemetery fencing to the start of the Talimi Markaj (bridging course for school dropouts) and skill development programs like Hunar and Auzar, Nitish Kumar has done a lot for the community. The training center in Haj Bhavan and some other districts is a great educational model. It is up to the Muslim community to decide if they just want slogans or some specific job. ” (Read an Express interview with Tyagi)
Former JD (U) leader Anwar, who now heads an apolitical forum called All India Pasmanda Muslim Mehaz, said he left the party due to the growing influence of the BJP. “Now there is a total distrust of Nitish. His return to the NDA has hurt Muslims. The aggressive policy of the BJP has further distanced Muslims from the JD (U), ”he said, adding that the Mehaz has a presence in at least two dozen seats and could influence votes there.
While the RJD-Congress remains the top contender for the Muslim vote in Bihar, AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi is expected to get a fair share in the Seemanchal belt of Kishanganj, Purnea, Araria and Katihar, further consuming the Nitish support. AIMIM Bihar Youth President Adil Hasan Azad said: “We are talking about the development of Seemanchal. We did well in the last Lok Sabha elections and opened our account in the Assembly by vote. We are looking for a positive vote ”.
RJD spokesperson Mrityunjay Tewary said they were confident that the minority votes would back the Grand Alliance. “They support us thanks to the secular credentials of Lalu Prasad. We do not swing from field to field like Nitish Kumar. It’s just a matter of convertibility (of this bracket) into winning digits. With Congress and the Left, we have a strong alliance. And with the LJP playing its double game (supporting the BJP and opposing the JD-U), we will upset the NDA’s calculations. “
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