By TwoCircles.net News Desk,
New Delhi: Syed Shahabuddin, former MP and diplomat and Editor of Muslim India monthly has criticized secular political parties for low representation of Muslims in the Maharashtra Assembly. In the recent Assembly elections whose results were announced yesterday only 11 Muslim have been elected as MLAs against their proportionate due of 31.
“Despite their dissatisfaction with the decadal performance of the INC-NCP government on many counts, the Muslims of Maharashtra had largely pinned their hopes on the alliance but it fielded only 15 Muslim candidates. BJP-Shiv Sena alliances not unexpectedly fielded only two, as a token gesture,” Syed Shahabuddin said in a statement today. The SP had fielded large number of candidates of which its leader Abu Asim Azmi won from 2 seats. Left-Republican Front did not field a single Muslim candidate, he said.
Of 11 newly elected Muslim MLAs, 5 are from INC, 2 from NCP, 3 from SP and 1 from JSS.
“Nearly all Muslim MLAs have been elected from Greater Mumbai and other western parts of the state. Thus, most of Maharashtra Muslims, even those in districts/constituencies of high Muslim concentration, shall remain unrepresented,” the former MP lamented and criticized political parties saying “Major parties have ignored Muslim voters because of the sharp division between their social constituencies, which leave little space for Muslim votes.”
“Muslims of Maharashtra are both politically conscious and possess intellectual and material resources. They have therefore reasons to feel unhappy with the political pattern which ignores them. They are obliged to apply their mind on how to have an effective presence & voice in the legislature and thus to make it pay more attention to their legitimate grievances and demands,” he said.