Cong likely to gain from split in minority votes

The notion of the Muslim vote-bank being a monolith appears to be cracking in a number of constituencies across Bihar....

The notion of the Muslim vote-bank being a monolith appears to be cracking in a number of constituencies across Bihar. Irfan Ahmad 19 of Babhangawan village under Madhubani Lok Sabha constituency will vote for the first time in this election. Ahmad was a toddler when Babri Masjid was brought down on December 6,1992. Ask him about communally sensitive issues like Babri being invoked by RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav during campaigning and he gets angry. Why do you keep asking these questions? We want to forget all those dark days and move forward, he says.

His grandfather Mohammad Nauman,too,feels that igniting Babri or any other communally sensitive issue will no longer sway the Muslim voters. Who we will vote for will be decided on the basis of the candidate. Some here are inclined to vote for the Congress candidate,while others are supporting the RJD man. The Muslim voters are divided, he says.

Madhubani has emerged as a test case for estranged UPA partners,the Congress and RJD,for the Muslim voters. Congresss Union Minister of State for Home Shakeel Ahmad is pitted against RJDs state president Abdul Bari Siddiqui. The clash has left the Muslim voters divided between the Congress and the RJD,assuring the BJP candidate of walking away with the seat.

The scary aspect for Lalu-Paswan,however,is that the division in the Muslim vote-bank is not limited to Madhubani alone. It is being witnessed across the state. A resurgent Congress opting to emerge out of the Lalu shadow is attracting Muslims in a big way. This is giving sleepless nights to Lalu who can clearly foresee that it will go in favour of the NDA. Though Congress candidates are also cutting into the upper caste vote-bank of the NDA,the party making inroads into the Muslim vote share appears to be greater. If the Congress is taking 50,000 of our votes,then in the same constituency,it is eating around one lakh of the RJD-LJP votes, says a senior BJP leader.

Ghulam Musatafa,a tailor from Bhairochowk under Hajipur constituency of Ram Vilas Paswan,was excited that the Congress,after a long gap,had come before them as an alternative to Lalu and Paswan. Reports after the first-phase of polling said wherever the Congress candidate was strong,Muslims turned up to vote for him.

In the second phase,the Congress candidates have emerged strong contenders on at least three seats of Sheohar,Ujiarpur and Sitamarhi all having a good share of Muslim votes.

Much more than emotional issues,development seems to be moving the Muslim voters in a big way and it is here that Nitish Kumar is making inroads into the hearts of the minority community. Though during the present elections,the JDU does not seem to be getting much preference,Muslims across the state unhesitatingly declare that in the Assembly polls next year,they will vote for Kumar in a big way. Lalu gave us security but no development. Nitish Kumar is giving us both. We will vote for him, says Mohammad Iliyaas of Sakri in Madhubani.