Mafuja Khatun: BJP’s Muslim pick gears up to take on Pranab Mukherjee’s son, outsider tag

Armed with a rustic sense of humour and a confidence that comes with an experience of over 25 years in politics, Mafuja had her supporters in splits when she responded to the “outsider” tag on the day she filed nomination papers. “I was born in Gangarampur, I am fighting from Jangipur. The ‘pur’ is the same in both, just replace the Gangaram with a Jangi,” she says.

Mafuja, who has been an MLA twice, says she has no qualms about seeking Muslim votes on behalf of the BJP. “When I was with the CPM, I had an impression that the BJP is anti-minority. Ever since I joined the BJP in 2017, I have not faced any discrimination. I have attended so many meetings, but never ever have I heard anything anti-Muslim.”

Click here for more election news

She is up against sitting Congress MP and former President Pranab Mukherjee’s son Abhijit Mukherjee, Khalilur Rahman of the TMC and Zulfikar Ali of the Left Front.

“About 50 per cent of my voters are beedi workers, yet the PF office was shifted from here. Go and see Raghunathganj Municipal Hospital. It is a place where people fall ill, don’t get cured. There has been no development. The MP sought votes in his father’s name and he is from a privileged background. If he wanted, what could he not have done? But he chose to do nothing. I know I will win and change everything here,” she tells The Indian Express at the Miyapur BJP office.

Known to be a good speaker, Mafuja knows looks mean a lot in politics. That is why, as she sits relaxed with her long hair open, she will not allow herself to be photographed. “Head covered, always,” she smiles.

In the ‘beedi’ villages such as Jagtai, Mafujadi is well-known. “We saw Pranab babu once and his son once,” says Namita Singha. Namita has four daughters and the family earns Rs 156 for every 1,000 beedis they roll.

Ask residents of Jagtai and the surrounding villages about demonetisation and the chorus is “We have no money so we did not suffer. Only the rich did.”

Some like Sanjib Roy say beedi factory owners have ordered them to vote for the TMC. “But my party is BJP,” he adds.

There is overwhelming support for the NRC and memories of a scuttled panchayat election. “I had filed nomination but was forced to withdraw after Trinamool goons came to my house with pistols,” says Sudip Singha. Influx from Bangladesh is a problem and that is why NRC is a must, he says.

About 68 per cent of Jangipur’s 16 lakh voters are Muslims. That is why West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s repeated claims that the RSS is helping Congress candidates in Jangipur (Abhijit Mukherjee) and Baharampur (Adhir Chowdhury) has caused some discomfort in the BJP camp.

Mafuja says, “I have replied to her in my speeches and said it is an utter lie. But the question is whether she is doing this to get Muslims to vote for her or to get Hindus to vote for Abhijit.”

That lingering doubt is something many BJP workers voice off the record. The large number of Muslim voters means that it is easy for the votes to get split between three Muslim candidates and if that happens, a consolidation of Hindu voters in Mukherjee’s favour will ensure his victory.

District BJP chief Sujit Das is from an RSS background. He describes himself as the “principal general of Mafujadi”. “Mamata’s barbs that the RSS is helping Congress has only enthused us more to ensure Mafujadi’s victory,” he says.