From 1988 to 1989, Kadir Pirzada of the Congress was mayor of Surat, the city known for its diamond and textile trade. Since 1990, the BJP has held sway over the mayor’s post. Considered close to Sonia Gandhi’s political secretary Ahmed Patel, Pirzada was one of the few Muslim mayors the city had before the BJP swooped in. And the number of Muslim MLAs has been dwindling. The outgoing Gujarat assembly had only two Muslim members, down from 12 in 1980.
Pirzada had unsuccessfully contested the last assembly election, and was eyeing the Surat East seat this time but lost the ticket to a Hindu Khatri candidate. The Congress, like the BJP, has been strategically keeping away from Muslim issues. “No one has spoken to us,” he told THE WEEK. “The Muslim community is feeling ignored. The community is committed to the Congress. Yet, something is going on, the community feels so. If a large community is being sidelined, everyone should be worried, including the BJP.”
The Muslim voter appears to have gone missing from the election narrative. While the BJP has never shied away from its hindutva ideology, the Congress also wants to be seen as a pro-Hindu party this time. This was evident from its engagement with caste leaders like Hardik Patel, Alpesh Thakor and Jignesh Mevani, and also from Rahul Gandhi’s temple visits (20 in two months).
Muslims account for 9.67 per cent of the state’s population. Though the community had traditionally supported the Congress, a section of Muslims had started veering towards the BJP owing to the Congress’s poor electoral show. The last time the Congress had a winning formula was in 1985 when it won 149 seats after making the KHAM (Kshatriyas, Harijans, Adivasis and Muslims) alliance. It is trying to do the same this election by bringing together Patidars, dalits and Other Backward Classes, hoping the Muslims will stay by its side.
But, the party has fielded only six Muslim candidates. Former state Congress secretary Feroz Malek, who, too, had been angling for the Surat East seat (with 84,000 Muslims of 2 lakh voters), quit the party after the ticket was denied to his community. “I have no problem if Rahul Gandhi goes to a temple. But why ignore the Muslims?” he asked. “I think the party is moving away from its core ideology. That is why, I quit. I have been told by many people that Muslims are now asked to stay away from rallies, so that the Congress can shake off its pro-Muslim tag.”
Muslims have a significant presence in 25 of 182 seats in the Gujarat Assembly. Currently, 17 are held by the BJP. When Narendra Modi was the chief minister, Gujarat had aggressively projected a governance model where minorities were not seen differently from the rest of the population—one reason why the state does not have a separate minority affairs department.
The Congress, on the other hand, portrayed itself as a pro-minority party, which eventually benefited the BJP. Despite the support of Patidars, dalits and OBCs, the Congress would still need the Muslim vote to ensure it doesn’t lose its edge over the BJP.
But who will the Muslims vote for? Sociology professor Parvez Abbasi, who retired from the Veer Narmad South Gujarat University, described them as silent voters. “They are keeping mum,” he said. “Gujarat is totally ‘Hinduised’. That explains why the Congress wants a pie of that. Muslims are a microscopic minority. Even they are divided. In every election, many dummy Muslim candidates are put up to divide the votes. So, they never come up.”
Abdul Hafiz Lakhani, editor of Gujarat Siyasat, a Gujarati newspaper, said the Congress’s change of strategy had an effect on the BJP. The BJP has been wooing Bohra and Shia Muslims, and its campaign trail now includes Muslim majority areas. Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, for the first time, had a rally in Jamalpur. Lakhani said some sections of the community felt that it was better to engage with the BJP as it was near impossible to defeat it.
But what plagues the community is its lack of strong leadership. Muslims say they have been pushed to the margins after the 2002 riots, and though there have been no riots since then, they are under constant pressure to adhere to the nationalistic narrative. “It is a constant pressure that I feel here. I am always aware of my identity, which is not the case in other cities,” said a restaurant owner in Surat.
The Patidar, dalit and OBC movements have forced a rethink within the community. “The Muslims are not organised in that manner to participate in the democratic process,” said Zakia Soman, cofounder of Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan that was one of petitioners in the triple talaq case. “It is also because the community has only looked up to religious leaders, and not social leaders.” Though there is no evidence, she said a few Muslim women could support the BJP owing to its stand on the triple talaq issue.
Vadodara-based social activist Zuber Gopalani, however, said the Muslims had a strategy up their sleeves. He said they were keeping quiet so as to counter allegations that Muslims being favoured often led to polarisation. “This change has been pushed by new voters and youngsters within the community. Through our network of NGOs and other bodies, they have been talking about losing out on major opportunities. This is the first election where we are not talking about roti-kapda-makaan for Muslims, or about 2002 [riots]. We are talking about issues that any common man would debate on. We have told this both to the BJP and the Congress. Muslims, for the first time, are showing that they, too, can keep their cards close to the chest,” said Gopalani, who is part of the All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat.
In the end, Muslims will have to choose the party that will cause less damage to them, said Ahmedabad-based social activist Afzal Memon.
Muslims make up 9.67 % of Gujarat’s population
For a proportionate representation, Muslims need at least 18 members in the assembly, which has never been achieved
Their best performance was in 1980 when they secured 12 seats
Muslim candidates only managed 2.37 per cent of the total votes polled in 2012
Muslims have a significant presence in 25 of 182 constituencies. These constituencies are located in the districts of Kutch, Ahmedabad and Bharuch
