Maharashtra election results challenge 'vote jihad' narrative, says SP MLA Rais Shaikh

Rais Shaikh asserted that divisive slogans from the BJP, such as 'Batnege to Katnege' and 'Ek Hai Toh Safe Hai,' failed to have any impact on the voters

Samajwadi Party legislator Rais Shaikh on Wednesday  has argued that the recent assembly election results in Maharashtra refute the narrative of 'vote Jihad,' which suggests that the Muslim community votes uniformly against the BJP, reported news agency PTI.

The MLA from Bhiwandi (East) highlighted that in the November 20 assembly elections, the BJP-led Mahayuti coalition secured 21 out of 38 seats in constituencies where the Muslim population ranges from 20 per cent to 52 per cent. 

Shaikh emphasised that most of the winning candidates in these areas were Hindus. 

"If 'vote Jihad' existed, this would not have been the case. Some Mahayuti candidates won by a margin of as little as 1,500 votes. But the claim of 'vote Jihad' has been used to malign the Muslim community," he alleged, stated PTI.

Shaikh also pointed out his own victory in a Muslim-majority constituency, which he won by a substantial margin of 52,000 votes, including about 18,000 votes from Hindu voters. He asserted that divisive slogans from the BJP, such as 'Batnege to Katnege' and 'Ek Hai Toh Safe Hai,' failed to have any impact on the voters.

Additionally, he noted that Muslim candidates Hasan Mushrif and Abdul Sattar were elected from predominantly Hindu constituencies in Kagal and Sillod, respectively, as further evidence against the 'vote Jihad' narrative.

Shaikh highlighted the disparity in representation, stating that while Muslims make up 11.56 per cent of Maharashtra's population, their presence in the newly formed assembly is only 3.47 per cent.

During the election campaign, BJP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had accused the opposition of attempting to polarize the electorate, suggesting that 'vote Jihad' could only be countered through a 'dharma yudh' of votes.

The Mahayuti swept the polls to the 288-member assembly polls, with BJP bagging 132 seats, Ajit Pawar’s NCP winning 41 seats and Shinde’s Shiv Sena winning 57 seats. 

The opposition Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) of Sharad Pawar managed to win just 16, 20 and 10 seats, respectively.

The BJP had the highest strike rate of 88.59 per cent after winning 132 of the 149 seats it contested.

(With inputs from PTI)

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!