Whenever there is a debate over the lack of Muslim leadership in the country, I can't help but wonder if we really need one.
Whenever there is a debate over theu00a0 lack of Muslim leadership in the country, I can't help but wonder if we really need one.
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I believe that whomever we vote for, regardless of his faith or caste, ultimately qualifies as our leader. The point is that, as a voter, you should know how to make the right choice.
The results thrown by the recently concluded general elections not only stressed the importance of a positive approach on the part of the political parties, but also saw the coming of age of Muslim voters.
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'Ink'Orporating Change: Muslim women waiting to cast their vote in Moradabad during the final phase of the country's month-long national election |
Political experts were predicting that the number of Muslim MPs would increase this time, since after delimitation, many of the constituencies having a majority of Muslim voters were de-reserved.
However, their mathematics failed miserably. Compared to the last Lok Sabha, the number of Muslim MPs fell by 20 per cent.
Out of the total 543 seats, only 29 Muslims made it to the lower house of the Parliament.
It was not the dearth of Muslim candidates, but the intelligent voting by the community that belied the political soothsayers.
Instead of voting for a candidate from their own community, Muslims simply chose the better candidate.
Mohammad Salim, Hanan Mollah, Shahid Siddiqui, Noor Bano, Tariq Anwar, Rashid Masood, CK Jaffer Sharief, AR Antulay, Maulana Maudood Madani, Akbar Ahmad Dumpy, Afzal Ansari, Taslimuddin, Mukhtar Ansari et al contested from constituencies having sizeable number of Muslim voters, but lost.
It clearly shows that the Muslim voter has learned to make an informed choice instead of choosing blindly from his/her community.
Experts have also claimed that the return of Muslim voters to the Congress was responsible for the revival of the party in Uttar Pradesh, though not many of those who won were Muslims.
In contrast, no Muslim candidate won on the Samajwadi Party ticket. The party that claims to be the messiah of Muslims in Uttar Pradesh managed only 23 seats.
This time, Muslims have voted for the party and the candidate, instead of Muslim identity.
By aligning themselves with the agenda for development, the voters have surely sent out a clear message to those who have so far treated them merely as a votebank and given them nothing but social ghettoes, false political promises and economic disparity.
