Municipal election 2015: Kolkata returns 22 Muslim councilors, two of them independent

Muslim-led parties such as the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) and Kerala based Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) as well as Welfare Party of India (WPI) could not win a single seat. Three candidates of SDPI, one candidate of WPI and two candidates of IUML jointly got only 590 votes.

By Zaidul Haque, TwoCircles.net,

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Kolkata: Ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) again retained absolute majority in the civic body elections with the Mamata Banerjee-led party winning 114 of the 144 seats.

Rivals Left Front alliance won 15, BJP seven, Congress five and independent candidates won in three seats. The election was held in 144 wards on Saturday, April 25 and the result was declared on Tuesday, April 28.

Few elected Muslim Councilor of Kolkata Municipal Corporation, 2015

There were a total of 1,077 candidates contesting the civic body election out of which, 175 were Muslims. This time too the number of Muslim councilors has remained the same as last times – 22 of them – but unlike last time, when all of them were from different political parties, this time, there are two independents. According to 2001 Census, Muslims comprise 20.27 % of Kolkata’s population. Elected Muslim councilor percentage tallies to only 15.27 %.

During the 2014 Lok Sabha election, the Narendra Modi wave had marked its presence in West Bengal too, which as the analysis for results showed, had helped BJP remain ahead in at least 29 wards in Kolkata municipal area. This time ahead of the municipal polls, the BJP tried to hype up the Saradha scam and Khagragarh blasts but the results are an evidence that they didn’t catch the voters’ fancy this time, even though the BJP increased its tally from three seats to seven now. Left Front alliance won 15 seats, so they are likely to be the main opposition party.

Muslim voters and candidates in Kolkata

In the last municipal election, the Trinamul Congress had won 95 out of 141 seats, while the Left Front was reduced to 33. Congress had won 10 while BJP had won three seats. (This time there are 144 wards, three wards were added to KMC after addition in municipal area limits). As has been happening in rest of India where Congress has seen an increasingly lower vote share and lesser number of seats, in Kolkata too the ruling TMC and BJP increased their seats eating into Congress’s share.

As stated earlier, 2001 Census showed Muslims comprise 20.27 % of Kolkata’s population. Elected Muslim councilor percentage tallies to only 15.27 %. Muslim voters have played a vital role in KMC election this year. The result trends have shown that in almost all areas, Muslims are increasingly favoring the TMC even as Congress’ vote share of Muslim areas has remained the same.

The largest numbers of Muslim councilors have been elected from ruling TMC. It had nominated 20 Muslim candidates, of which six were women. Fifteen of them won the polls, four women included as against 11 Muslim councilors of TMC in the last term.

In the last few years, five Muslim councilors from others political parties joined the TMC and contested this election on TMC tickets. They are Congress councilor Tapsira Begum, Mamtaj Begum and Moynul Haque Chowdhury; CPIM councilor Mohammad Jasimuddin and Forward Block councilor Nizamuddin Shams. Out of them, four have won, only Moynul Haque Chowdhury was defeated.

With 14 Muslims, the CPIM had nominated largest numbers of Muslim candidates among the Left front alliances. But only one women candidate Bilquis Begum won. She has been re-elected while another woman from the Left Front parties is from Forward Block, Shamima Rehan Khan.

Congress had nominated 29 Muslim candidates but only three won: Shagufta Parvin, Akhtari Nijami and Abu Mohammad Tarik. The two Muslim independents who won the polls are Mohammad Anwar Khan and Rehmat Alam Anssari.

Muslim-led parties such as the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) and Kerala based Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) as well as Welfare Party of India (WPI) could not win a single seat. Three candidates of SDPI, one candidate of WPI and two candidates of IUML jointly got only 590 votes.

BJP’s Muslim candidates and star candidates

This was the first time that the BJP fielded 13 Muslim candidates in the KMC election. All of them have been defeated. Among them, the largest number of votes were garnered by Ershad Ahmed Sain (from ward number 80), who got 4,878 votes. Over all, the 13 Muslim BJP candidates got total 16,261 votes.

Independent Anwar Khan won with a very narrow margin. He defeated BJP candidate Ershad Ahmed Sain in ward number 80 where TMC candidate Hema Ram was placed third and CPIM candidate Rajendra Rahbhar finished fourth.

Another independent Rehmat Alam Anssari won from ward number 137.

Few star Muslim candidates were defeated in this election. TMC candidate Deputy Mayor of KMC Farzana Alam was defeated by Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) candidate Nivedita Sharma in ward number 65. Farzana Chowdhury, long time CPI councilor, was defeated by TMC candidate Iqbal Ahmed in ward 64.

Kolkata Municipal Corporation (Front side)

Quote-unquote reactions

Proessor Dr Afsar Ali, SDPI general secretary, said people have no alternatives in front of them. There is no such party in this moment and it will take time to change the ruling party’s vote. Ali is happy that BJP did not win in large numbers in Kolkata.

Dr Raisuddin, WPI state president said, “People are aware of the BJP. To prevent the Modi wave, people’s motive moves to the ruling party, because in this moment there is no proper rival political party in the state, including the Left Front. It is good news that people did not like the saffron forces or the Modi wave. Modi wave now seems to be over and Mamata wave will also be finished but it will take time.”

Maulana Siddiqullah Chowdhury, state president of AIUDF said, they did not want to misuse voters. “If they tried to grab the Muslim voters, then there was a chance of victory of fanatic forces such as BJP. Has won, which is good for nothing.”

Former state minister Abdur Rezzak Molla said, presently there is no alternative in front of the people in the state. “So, TMC dominated the political mentality. It should be changed,” he said.

Rahul Sinha, state BJP president, said, “For the first time, BJP nominated a large number of Muslim candidates and received well. It shows that Muslims are also with the BJP.”

“TMC victory is due to lack of voter security. It will change by the time of forthcoming state assembly elections in 2016. That is the final fight between BJP and TMC,” he said.

Firhad Hakim, state’s urban development minister said, “Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee is trying for the development of the minorities in the state. The CM has practically done it. So, especially Muslim voters turned to the TMC. It is the signal towards who will win the forthcoming 2016 assembly election in West Bengal.”

22 Muslims are elected in Kolkata Civic Body Election 2015

Related:

Municipal elections in Murshidabad district: 450 candidates, 144 Muslim