Maharashtra Elections: Parties Walk A Tightrope To Secure Muslim Votes

With just days to go before the Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha polls, except the BJP, all political parties are pulling out all the stops to win over Muslim voters.

In Mumbai alone, Muslim voters make up 19% of the electorate, a sizable 18 lakh strong. These voters hold the keys to power in at least 10 of the city's 36 assembly seats.

The Shiv Sena has historically been at odds with the Muslim community, but both factions, led by Eknath Shinde and Uddhav Thackeray, are now making substantial efforts to court Muslim voters.

Recently, Yamini Jadhav, the Shiv Sena (Shinde) MLA from Byculla, stirred the pot by distributing burkas to Muslim women, a move that has left the BJP squirming.

Jadhav, eyeing another run in the upcoming polls, is well aware that her electoral fate hangs in the balance of the Muslim vote. In the last Lok Sabha polls, she lost to Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Arvind Sawant, with Muslim voters being the game changers in South Mumbai. Once a Congress stronghold, the seat had shifted to Shiv Sena (UBT) due to the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance.

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Since taking over the Shiv Sena reins from his father, Uddhav Thackeray has worked tirelessly to rebuild bridges with the Muslim community. He has distanced himself from Bal Thackeray’s fiery rhetoric against the community and opted for a softer approach.

In 2019, he signed the Maha Vikas Aghadi's preamble, where “secular” was emphasised twice. During the pandemic, Uddhav's inclusive relief efforts in Muslim areas were praised, earning him goodwill.

His party has even promised to field Muslim candidates, though it still embraces its Hindutva identity.

Uddhav’s opponents, however, are trying to box him into a corner, demanding clarity on his stance regarding the controversial Wakf board bill.

Meanwhile, Raj Thackeray’s MNS, which aligned with Hindutva four years ago, is also eyeing Muslim support. An MNS leader recently made a high-profile visit to Ajmer Sharif with a thousand Muslims, signalling their interest in Muslim votes as the election looms large.

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Currently, Mumbai has five Muslim MLAs from various parties, which include Ameen Patel (Congress), Aslam Shaikh (Congress), Nawab Malik (NCP), Abu Azmi (SP) and Zeeshan Siddiqui (Congress).

However, alliances are shifting rapidly. Nawab Malik has jumped ship to Ajit Pawar’s NCP, and Zeeshan Siddiqui seems poised to follow, expressing dissatisfaction with Congress.

With loyalties up in the air, all parties are walking a tightrope to secure the Muslim vote—critical for tipping the scales in this high-stakes election.

The BJP’s antagonism towards Muslims, on the other hand, has aggravated. Nitesh Rane, the party’s MLA, recently gave a speech intimidating Muslims. His words led to an outrage, not only by the members of the Muslim community but voices of dissent came from the party’s rank itself. A few criminal cases have been registered against Rane.

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Jitendra Dixit is an author and consulting editor of NDTV

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