Mr. Bhamre was the candidate who had secured the second highest votes. The elected candidate secured 5,83,866 votes while the petitioner secured 5,80,035 votes. He lost by a narrow margin of 3,831 votes. Of the six assembly segments that fall in Dhule Parliamentary Constituency, Bhamre focused his election petition on the polling in Malegaon Central segment from where he could muster only 4,542 votes as against over 1.98 lakh votes polled by Bachchav.

In the election petition, Mr. Bhamre claimed that after conducting inquiries, he came to know from the residents of Malegaon and party workers associated with him that votes were polled in the name of persons who were already dead and that these votes are polled in favour of Ms. Bacchav. He claimed that multiple votes under identical names were cast across different booths, also, burkha-clad women were allowed to vote despite their names not being on the electoral rolls, and all these votes were in favour of Ms. Bacchav.  

Ms. Bacchav sought dismissal of the plea, arguing that the petitioner’s allegations were vague and unsupported. “The original election petition does not disclose the source of information from where the election agent of petitioner received information that votes from about six electric voting machines have not been counted.” Bacchav contended that the petition is “not based on verifiable facts but mere assumptions” and “there is no legally admissible evidence or definite pleading to back the charges.” 

A Single Bench judge, Justice Arun R. Pednekar dismissed the petition and noted, “There is no prima facie material to indicate that votes are cast in the name of dead persons. The data was asked from the petitioner and the Election Commission i.e. register maintained under Form 17-A and 17-C of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961 with CCTV footage so as to verify, whether votes are cast in the name of dead persons and multiple votes are cast in the name of same persons at different booths.” 

There is no affidavit by polling agents that they have noticed votes being cast in the name of dead persons or that the polling agent had raised objection to the casting of the votes in the name of dead persons, the order said. Further, the order said that, in the absence of material that can prove that voting took place in the name of dead persons, the judge said, “Thus there is an element of speculation and inquiry by this court at the instance of the election petitioner. The petitioner has placed on record the names of dead persons, whose names continues to be on the electoral roll, so also, has placed names of voters at multiple places. However, there is no evidence that voting has taken place in the name of dead persons or that voting has taken place at multiple places by the same voter.”  

Further, by merely having names of dead persons on the electoral roll, this court will not presume that votes are cast in their names, the court said. “The polling agents in the booth are aware of the votes cast by persons and an affidavit of polling agents present in the polling station stating that votes are cast against the dead persons would at least indicate that voting has taken place against the name of dead persons.” 

In the election petition, the pleadings have to be precise, specific and unambiguous. If the allegations contained in election petition do not set out grounds as contemplated in Section 100 and do not conform to the requirement of Section 81 and 83 of the Act, the election petition is liable to be rejected under Order VII, Rule 11 of Code of Civil Procedure, the court observed.  

Dismissing the petition, the court said, “Omission of a single material fact leading to an incomplete cause of action or omission to contain a concise statement of material facts on which the election petitioner relies for establishing a cause of action, would entail rejection of election petition under Order VII Rule 11 read with Section 83 and 87 of the Representation of the People Act.”  

In 2019, the position was slightly different: Subhash Ramrao Bhamre of the BJP emerged victorious with 613,533 votes, while Congress’s Kunal Rohidas Patil secured 384,290 votes, followed by VBA’s Nabi Ahmad Ahmadulla with 39,449 votes. The voter turnout for this election stood at 55.42%. In the 2014 elections, Subhash Ramrao Bhamre also secured victory with 529,450 votes. Congress candidate Amarishbhai Rasiklal Patel was the runner-up with 398,727 votes, and BSP’s Yogesh Yashwant Ishi came in third with 9,897 votes. The voter turnout was slightly higher at 58.65%.

Related:

India’s election system is being weaponised, will the Opposition act?

Transparency demand Maharashtra: Prominent leaders among 104 seeking EVM–VVPAT inspection

Markadwadi, Pune, Sholapur, Akola, are protests against ECI mounting in Maharashtra?

Congress raises alarm over manipulated voter rolls in Maharashtra Assembly elections

The post Bombay HC: No indication votes cast in name of dead in Dhule, 2024 Lok Sabha polls appeared first on SabrangIndia.

The post Unmasking the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections: Teesta Setalvad’s Deep Dive appeared first on SabrangIndia.

In the 2024 general elections, the decline of the electoral clout of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its failure to reach the majority mark sparked hope that the democratic decline in values of pluralism and diversity may see a recovery.

During the elections, himself having realised that Ram Temple magic is no longer effective, Narendra Modi resorted to divisive language all through. He blamed the INDIA bloc for doing mujra (a bowing salutation, in Muslim tradition) for the minorities, whom they want to please. It was also said that the INDIA bloc will change the Constitution to take away reservations of SC/ST/OBC and give it to the Muslims.

To add further punch to his rhetoric, the prime minister frightened the Hindu majority by saying that Hindu women’s mangalsutra (chain indicating the marital status of some Hindu communities) will also be taken away and given to Muslims, among other such derogatory issues. As the matters stood, this hate speech failed to benefit the BJP, and it slid down from 303 seats to 240 in the Lok Sabha.

This gave hope that now minorities will be targeted less often and an atmosphere of amity may get promoted. The developments of the past few weeks in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by the BJP, have dashed this hope. The statements and actions of the saffron party leaders and the government in the BJP-ruled states show that they will pursue their old tactics as far as possible.

Hemant Biswa Sarma, the Assam chief minister, notorious for such outpouring, stated that Assam will soon become a Muslim majority state. As per him, the percentage of Muslims in 1951 was 12% (later he revised this figure to 14%) and now Muslims are 40% of the state population. His figures are totally fake, intended to stir up fear and alarm among Hindus. The percentage of Muslim population in 1951 was 24.68% as per census figures and as per 2011 census figures Muslims in Assam are 34.22%. Old habits die hard for many. A classic case is here to be witnessed.

In West Bengal, where the BJP bit the dust coming down from existing 18 MP seats to 12 this time, party leader Suvendu Adhikari, put the blame of BJP’s decline on Muslims, and proclaimed: “We do not need to talk about Sabka Saath and Sabka Vikas (everybody’s development, taking along everybody). We will decide who supports us, and we will support them. Stop this talk of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas.” Many from the BJP stable disowned his statement, but Adhikari’s words and tenor reveals the real political goals of this party.

To cap it all in Muzaffarnagar, the deputy inspector general of police (DIG) issued instructions that on the route of the Kanwar Yatra (a Holy procession devoted to Lord Shiva) all the eateries, stalls and hotels should display the names of owner and workers right in front.

Notably, the Supreme Court on Monday (July 21) stayed these directions issued by the Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand governments, that directed eateries in Kanwar Yatra route to display names. A bench of Justices Hrishikesh Roy and S.V.N. Bhatti passed an interim order prohibiting the enforcement of the government directives.

As per the directive that was issued by the Uttar Pradesh local administration, “All the food outlets, eateries and food joints across the state will have to put up a “nameplate,” displaying the names of owners/proprietors and staff members.”

“This has been done to maintain the ‘purity of faith’ for Hindu devotees who undertake the Kanwar Yatra, in the month of Shravan (a holy month as per the Hindu calendar),” the administration had claimed, justifying the move. Uttarakhand had joined Uttar Pradesh in announcing the rule, and multiple other BJP-governed states were set to follow suit, signalling a broader adoption of this policy.

In the face of criticism, the state administration added that this has to be done voluntarily. This is a very interesting order, where does the volition exist for those who are supposed to follow it? The honourable prime minister, the supreme leader has maintained a stoic silence on this order, indicating that this is the policy of the party. This move has been criticised by the BJP’s NDA allies like Janata Dal United (JD(U)), Lok Janshakti Party (Ramvilas Pasvan) (LJP (Ramvilas Pasvan)), among others. This is a case where we come to know that in the coalition, the allies of the BJP don’t matter to the prime minister, and the BJP will rule the roost.

However, this is probably the most divisive step taken by the BJP. Already Muslims employees of Hindu establishments on the route have been laid off. The whole notion of purity and pollution should not be applicable in present times. The Kanwar Yatra from Haridwar to the local Shiva temples is a fairly old phenomenon. It became more prominent during the last few decades, from 1980s onwards, quite in tune with the rise of politics in the name of religion, beginning with the Ram Temple movement. Now lakhs and lakhs of people participate in it.

Let’s imagine the implications of such a directive. Most commentators recalled the apartheid regimes of South Africa and Nazi Germany. In Nazi Germany, the Jews were on the receiving end of fascist politics. They were asked to display the ‘Star of David’ in front of their establishments and wear the same on their body. Their persecution became easy as already their establishments could be easily identified. On the Kanwar route the step seems to be an anticipatory one and it is likely that the BJP in other states, on other pretext may find this an easy way to identify Muslims.

At present, it seems that sectarian politics has deep roots in the body politic of the nation. Electorally defeating this party and its opportunist allies is a mere first step to restore pluralism in the country. The targeting of Muslim community is also running parallel to decline in their political representation. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-BJP (RSS-BJP) ideologues are arguing that they tried to de-communalise Muslim politics.

It is a hoax as the present episode shows. Still they are totally silent on why the BJP does not have a single Muslim MP in Lok Sabha, not a single Muslim minister in the Cabinet at any level. They argue that now the BJP is trying to link with the Pasmanda Muslims. Do they realise who is the biggest victim of the BJP’s politics? Just in the case of the present Kanwar Yatra episode, one can tell that the Pasmanda Muslims would have been the biggest losers with the present move of the BJP, if the apex court didn’t stay the directions.

One feels the INDIA coalition should vociferously oppose such a move of the BJP as it is imperative that the inclusive values have to be brought to forefront to confront such regressive policies aiming at further splitting the society and taking one more step towards a Hindu nation.

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are the author’s personal views, and do not necessarily represent the views of Sabrangindia.

The post Elections 2024: Democratic Ethos and Plight of Minorities appeared first on SabrangIndia.

You have been one of the most accomplished political strategists the country has seen, especially after the tornado-like sweep of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party in 2014, which redefined India’s political trajectory.

I was among the few who actually publicly endorsed your entry into the Congress party as a bold breakthrough proposition, even when I was suspended by the party myself. But I must point out, regretfully, that of late, your utterances have been rather cosmetic, and often, bordering on mendacity. I woke up this morning to your BBC News interview, and to be honest, was stunned into disbelief. Either you have got your basic facts completely wrong, or you are blatantly misleading the people of India.

1. India’s Muslim population is 14% but according to you it is 18%. Wow! Considering your entire political career started off as a psephologist, that gargantuan 4% difference that you glossed over is professional sacrilege. Psephologists are rated on their exactitude. You fail the test. There is no margin of error when you are indulging in a serious conversation post a historic election that has reduced an authoritarian government to its knees.
2. Your attempt to diminish Congress party’s impressive 23% aggregate vote-share in the 2024 elections has again got a luminous distortion. Again, it is elementary, Mr Watson. The rise in Congress vote-share by nearly 3-4% is staggering, because it fought in only 328 seats compared to 464 in 2014 where it got 19.4% vote-share. Why did you not tell that to BBC News? Why would you make such a brazen omission?
3. Your statement that Congress has a “free vote-bank of 20% minorities votes” is so preposterous that it could qualify for the Oscars in Exaggerated Falsehoods. Muslims vote for regional parties too in bulk; the perfect case being UP and Bihar, among others. The Sikhs vote for different political parties including the BJP. Several Christians have voted for the BJP in Goa, Kerala and the North East. And the bulk of Jains probably vote for the BJP alone. Bottom-line: You lied. But why? Why did you not elaborate on the reasons why minorities are apprehensive and frightened of the hate-mongering and divisive politics of the BJP?
4. FYI, Congress won 57 of its 99 seats from six states with low Muslim populations – Karnataka, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. PK, you forgot to do your homework.

Now, the truth that the people of India must know, the real reason why you are so unambiguously hostile to the Congress is because you saw yourself as a saviour of the Grand Old Party once it would have been annihilated in the 2024 general elections – something Prime Minister Narendra Modi and others too thought was a fait accompli. You tried that in your famous “TMC-Goa model” in the assembly elections of 2022 which flopped miserably. Your attempt to rebrand TMC as a national alternative to the INC was instantly abandoned. Mamata Banerjee was an unsuspecting victim of your Machiavellian game to destroy Congress for the pursuit of your personal ambitions. It was expected that a demoralised Congress would crumble, and you would arrive as a knight in shining armour.

There are two things you need to reflect on, Prashant:

1. Why did BJP lose the parliamentary seat of Ayodhya?
2. Why did Congress win both the seats in Manipur?

I hereby give you an open challenge to debate with me on national television on the above and more. And by the way, this will hurt, but I predicted 240 seats maximum for the BJP on several occasions, while you were sarcastically asking Indians to keep a glass of water ready for the June 4 results with the saffron party at 303+.

I messaged Karan Thapar after your public meltdown on his show (similar to another media-created political superhero) that you had indeed told me yourself over a phone call that Congress would be decimated in Himachal Pradesh. But then, you can always deny that. But what you cannot deny is that a celebrated emissary of your team (an intellectual titan and former parliamentarian) wanted me to join TMC with a host of attractive inducements thrown in. I listened to the proposition as any gentleman should, and politely refused. And yet, I was in London when a press release was unethically circulated that I had attended a meeting with the West Bengal CM in attendance.

Cheers!

Sanjay Jha is a former national spokesperson of the Indian National Congress party. He also worked as a banker and an internet entrepreneur.

The post An Open Letter to Prashant Kishor, Who Has Misled Indians appeared first on SabrangIndia.

In 2019, the VBA’s strategy of contesting independently had yielded significant vote shares in various constituencies. For example, in Gadchiroli-Chimur, the VBA secured 9.75% of the polled votes, which was 7.04% of the total votes. Similarly, in Chandrapur, they garnered 9.05% of the polled votes and 5.86% of the total votes. However, in Bhandara-Gondiya, their influence was lower, with 3.68% of the polled votes and 2.53% of the total votes. These figures indicate that the VBA had a notable presence in 2019, influencing the electoral outcomes in several constituencies.

For a more in-depth analysis of VBA’s strategy during the 2019 election, read Maharashtra: Three Tables that ask whether Prakash Ambedkar’s VBA will tilt the 2024 balance

A closer look at the election results from six pivotal constituencies this time round—Akola, Aurangabad, Buldhana, Hatkanangale, Mumbai North West, and Palghar—provides insight into the extent of this impact. In Akola, ironically, this tendency to pay spoiler cost Prakash Ambedkar his own seat in Parliament.

Akola Constituency

• Winning Candidate: Anup Sanjay Dhotre (BJP) – 457,030 votes
• Runner-Up: Abhay Kashinath Patil (INC) – 416,404 votes
• VBA Candidate: Prakash Yashwant Ambedkar – 276,747 votes

Anup Sanjay Dhotre of the BJP defeated Abhay Kashinath Patil of the Congress by a margin of 40,626 votes in Akola. Prakash Yashwant Ambedkar, the VBA candidate, received a noteworthy 276,747 votes. Consolidating the votes cast for VBA with the Congress votes might have raised the combined total over the BJP’s total and shifted the election results in the Congress’s favour. This demonstrates unequivocally how the VBA divided the anti-BJP vote.

Aurangabad Constituency

• Winning Candidate: Bhumare Sandipanrao Asaram (Shiv Sena, Eknath Shinde faction) – 476,130 votes
• Runner-Up: Imtiaz Jaleel Syed (AIMIM) – 341,480 votes
• VBA Candidate: Afsar Khan Yaseen Kha – 69,266 votes

Bhumare Sandipanrao Asaram of the Shiv Sena, (Eknath Shinde faction) beat Imtiaz Jaleel Syed of the AIMIM by 134,650 votes in Aurangabad. The 69,266 votes that VBA’s Afsar Khan Yaseen Kha received were noteworthy despite the wide margin. The difference may have been smaller if these votes had been aimed towards AIMIM, demonstrating the VBA’s disruptive influence on the consolidation of opposition votes.

Buldhana Constituency

• Winning Candidate: Jadhav Prataprao Ganpatrao (Shiv Sena – Shinde) – 349,867 votes
• Runner-Up: Narendra Dagdu Khedekar (Shiv Sena – UBT) – 320,388 votes
• VBA Candidate: Vasantrao Rajaram Magar – 98,441 votes

Jadhav Prataprao Ganpatrao of the Shinde faction defeated Narendra Dagdu Khedekar of the Uddhav faction by a narrow margin of 29,479 votes in the Buldhana constituency. Vasantrao Rajaram Magar of the VBA received 98,441 votes. This significant vote share demonstrates how VBA helped the Shinde group win by dividing the opposing votes. 

Hatkanangale Constituency

• Winning Candidate: Dhairyasheel Sambhajirao Mane (Shiv Sena – Shinde) – 520,190 votes
• Runner-Up: Satyajeet Babasaheb Patil Sarudkar (Shiv Sena – UBT) – 506,764 votes
• VBA Candidate:C. Patil Dadgonda – 32,696 votes

At Hatkanangale, Dhairyasheel Sambhajirao Mane of the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) defeated Satyajeet Babasaheb Patil Sarudkar of the Uddhav faction by a mere 13,426 votes. In this close contest, VBA’s D.C. Patil Dadgonda garnered 32,696 votes, which further demonstrated the party’s spoiler impact by diverting votes from the Uddhav group.

Mumbai North West Constituency

• Winning Candidate: Ravindra Dattaram Waikar (Shiv Sena – Shinde) – 452,644 votes
• Runner-Up: Amol Gajanan Kirtikar (Shiv Sena – UBT) – 452,596 votes
• VBA Candidate: Parmeshwar Ashok Ranshur – 10,052 votes

In a very close race in Mumbai North West, Ravindra Dattaram Waikar of the Shinde faction defeated Amol Gajanan Kirtikar of the Uddhav faction by just 48 votes. With 10,052 votes, Parmeshwar Ashok Ranshur of the VBA played a significant role in this result, further splitting the opposition vote and assisting the Shinde group in an indirect manner.

NOTA another factor

Of the 75,262 NOTA (none of the above) votes cast in the six Mumbai constituencies, the highest number was polled in Mumbai North-West, which had 15,161 such votes. However, Mumbai South constituency had the largest percentage of total polled votes, at 1.74%, followed by South Central with 1.7%.
In Mumbai North-West, these votes may have made a difference to the outcome of the electoral battle: the winning margin was just 48 votes. In 2019, too, the constituency had seen the highest number of NOTA votes, casting 18,225 of a total of 82,265 such votes in the city. This year, some of the highest NOTA votes were in constituencies with a direct contest between the two Senas. Apart from Northwest, Mumbai South-Central had 13,423 NOTA votes (1.7% of polled votes) and Mumbai South had 13,411 (1.74% of polled votes). Mumbai North, where BJP’s Piyush Goyal had defeated Congress’s Bhushan Patil, had 13,346 NOTA votes (1.29% of polled votes). Mumbai North-East followed with 10,173 (1.1% of polled votes) and then North Central with 9,749 (1.08% of polled votes).—Vijay V Singh

Palghar Constituency

• Winning Candidate: Hemant Vishnu Savara (BJP) – 601,244 votes
• Runner-Up: Bharti Bharat Kamdi (Shiv Sena – UBT) – 417,938 votes
• Bahujan Vikas Aaghadi Candidate: Rajesh Raghunath Patil (BVA) – 254,517 votes

Dr. Hemant Vishnu Savara of the BJP defeated Bharti Bharat Kamdi of the Uddhav Thackeray Shiv Sena in Palghar by a wide majority of 183,306 votes. Even though Bahujan Vikas Aaghadi (not the VBA) candidate Rajesh Raghunath Patil received 254,517 votes, this case highlights the effect of vote-splitting in favour of BJP. This significant number of votes for a non-BJP candidate highlights how the anti-BJP vote’s split might significantly change the outcome of the election.

2024

The 2024 Maharashtra Lok Sabha elections highlight the pivotal role of the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) in splitting the anti-BJP and anti-Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) vote base. In several key constituencies, the VBA’s now reduced, yet not insignificant, vote shares directly influenced the election results, often aiding BJP and Shinde faction victories by fragmenting the opposition votes. This pattern underscores the strategic impact smaller parties can have in closely contested elections, often acting as spoilers that prevent a consolidated opposition front.

A repeat of the 2019 election strategy?

The political strategy of the VBA in Maharashtra has indeed been repeated in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, mirroring the approach taken in 2019. However, this time, the potential damage from vote splitting appears somewhat contained due to the efforts of the Progressive Republican Party (PRP) and the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).

In the 2019 elections, the VBA, led by Prakash Ambedkar, contested independently across various constituencies in Maharashtra. This decision led to significant vote shares for the VBA in several key areas, effectively splitting the anti-BJP vote and contributing to the victories of BJP and its allies. In the lead-up to the 2024 elections, after Prakash Ambedkar announced that the VBA would again contest independently in key constituencies, concerns were raised among opposition parties about a repeat of the 2019 scenario, where vote splitting could benefit the BJP and the Shiv Sena, and that is exactly what happened.

PRP formed in April 2022

A significant development ahead of the 2024 elections was the declaration of support for the MVA by over four dozen Dalit Ambedkarite organizations, isolating Prakash Ambedkar’s VBA. On April 22, 2024, these organizations, along with the newly formed the Progressive Republican Party (PRP), announced their backing for the MVA during a press conference. The PRP called for Dalit organizations to unite behind the MVA, emphasizing the importance of safeguarding the Constitution and democracy, and preventing vote division.

The PRP’s formation and alignment with the MVA reflect a strategic consolidation of Dalit votes. This unity aimed to prevent the division of votes that would otherwise weaken the opposition’s chances against the BJP. The PRP’s leadership, recognizing Maharashtra’s socio-political realities, urged the Dalit community to prioritize the survival of the Constitution and democracy over independent electoral battles. This call for unity was somewhat instrumental in containing the fragmentation of anti-BJP votes.

Conclusion

The 2024 Maharashtra Lok Sabha elections illustrate the repetition of the VBA’s strategy like 2019. However, the emergence of the PRP and the consolidation efforts of the MVA have played a crucial role in containing the potential damage from vote splitting. By uniting Dalit organizations and emphasizing the broader goal of preserving democracy, these efforts have mitigated the impact of the VBA’s independent stance.

The next few months and years – especially the upcoming assembly elections in Maharashtra –will reveal how these dynamics play out and whether the unity among Dalit organizations can counterbalance the VBA’s influence, ultimately determining the election’s outcome in Maharashtra.

Related:

Maharashtra: Three Tables that ask whether Prakash Ambedkar’s VBA will tilt the 2024 balance

Maharashtra: Save Constitution & Democracy, Dalit Ambedkarites unite, declare support to MVA

Elections Stories I missed in the newspapers that I buy

DB Live predictions cast shadow on BJP’s aspirations on gaining majority in Lok Sabha elections, predictions 255-291 seats for INDIA bloc

The post How vote splitting by VBA shapes Maharashtra election outcomes appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Apart from “Samvidhan Bachao”, a key plank developed by Akhilesh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party (SP) this time round, was manifest in the party’s efforts to expand beyond its Muslim-Yadav (M-Y) base through the PDA — Pichde (backward classes or OBCs), Dalits, Alpasankhyak (minorities) — strategy and slogan. Awadesh Yadav was key to this expansion and is expected to play a strategic role in future.

The Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, consecrated by Modi in January, marked the completion of one of the Sangh Parivar’s ideological goals though the event was dominant much more by a Modi than the Sangh. Timed for months before the general elections in a rather brazen mixing of religion with polls, this plank had been expected to boost the BJP’s poll prospects. The Indian people surprised poll pundits again as the party took a big hit in Uttar Pradesh, with its tally almost halved, one of its most prominent losses was in the Faizabad Lok Sabha constituency of which Ayodhya is a part.

This Samajwadi Party leader, an old associate of the wily Mulayam Singh Yadav who snatched the prestigious seat from the BJP is the old warhorse MLA Awadhesh Prasad who was the only candidate from a Dalit community to win from a non-reserved constituency. Prasad rode to a much hailed poll victory defeating the BJP’s two-time sitting MP Lallu Singh by 54,567 votes, riding on Dalit, Minority and Backward votes that earlier used to go to the Congress in Faizabad.

The 77-year-old nine-time MLA and now first-time MP, who is from the Pasi community, is among the founder members of the SP and has been by founder Mulayam Singh Yadav’s side starting in 1974. Awadhesh Prasad, several times elected from MLA from the Milkipur assembly, secured a sensational victory by a significant margin of votes

Awadhesh Prasad’s political journey began in 1977 when he won his first assembly election from the Sohawal assembly seat in Ayodhya district. Thereafter, he won assembly polls in 1985, 1989, 1993, 1996, 2002, 2007, and 2012.

With this victory, the memories of 1989 polls revived as when –in the midst of the frenzy generated by LK Advani’s rath yatra, Mitrasen Yadav of CPI won the elections amidst the temple movement.

Who is Awadesh Prasad?

A law graduate from the Lucknow University, Prasad entered active politics early, at the age of 21. He joined the Bharatiya Kranti Dal led by former PM Chaudhary Charan Singh, whom he considers his “political father”, and contested his first Assembly election from Sohawal in Ayodhya district in 1974.

During the 18 month long Emergency, Prasad served as the Faizabad district co-convener of the anti-Emergency Sangharsh Samiti and was arrested. While in jail, his mother passed away and he failed to get parole to attend her last rites. After the Emergency, he quit law to become a full-time politician. In 1981,

Awadesh Yadav joins the SP

It was after the Janata Party splintered that Awadhesh Prasad stayed with Mulayam as he launched the SP in 1992. Prasad was appointed the party’s national secretary and member of its central parliamentary board. Later, he was promoted to the position of SP national general secretary, a post in which he is serving his fourth term.

Though this parliamentary election is the first time he has won, he unsuccessfully contested once before in 1996 from the Akbarpur Lok Sabha constituency — this seat used to exist in the erstwhile Faizabad district and is not the same as the current Akbarpur parliamentary seat in Kanpur Dehat. Prasad, however, had more luck in the Assembly elections and to date lost only twice in nine contests — in 1991, when he was the Janata Party candidate from Sohawal and in 2017, when he fought as an SP nominee from Milkipur.

The post In the seat of Lord Ram, real life issues win the day in 2024 LS polls, Awadesh Prasad wins by 54, 567 votes appeared first on SabrangIndia.

The Indian Muslim community has its highest ever representation in the Lok Sabha at 49 MPs, in 1980. Although Muslim voters are seen as a decisive factor in each election season, representation for the community, even in States where it forms a sizeable percentage of the population, remains low.

The Indian National Congress, SP, and TMC, key political parties of the Indian National Developmental, Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) have given fewer seats to Muslim candidates this election. In 2024, the Congress nominated Muslims in only 19 seats when compared with 34 in 2019 whereas the TMC fielded six Muslim candidates when compared with 13 in 2019 and the Samajwadi Party had only four Muslim candidates, half the number it had in 2019.

Both the INC, TMC and SP are known to secure a sizeable number of Muslim votes.

Political analyst Rashid Kidwai feels that a truncated mandate for the BJP notwithstanding, Muslim candidates were unlikely to be nominated in higher numbers. “I don’t see this changing anytime soon,” he said. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) fielded 35 Muslim candidates in 2024, the highest among all parties, albeit almost half of the 61 it fielded in 2014. Opposition parties have, however, branded this an attempt to divide the community’s votes in constituencies where it matters in order to benefit the BJP, a narrative which is recurrent in many constituencies across the country that have a sizeable number of Muslim voters. The Hindu – reported

Muslim Candidates elected From Uttar Pradesh:

Iqra Hasan Choudhary, SP Candidate (Kairana)

SP’s 28 years old Iqra Hasan Choudhary, law graduate from London defeated the BJP candidate Pradeep Kumar with 69116 votes from Kairana Parliamentary Constituency in Uttar Pradesh. Iqra secured 528013. Iqra abled to secure this seat with cohesion between Jats and Muslims in Kairana. Jats, a powerful agrarian community, hold an impactful population in this Parliamentary Constituency. Iqra’s campaign was however very personalized and strategic.

Imran Masood, INC Candidate (Saharanpur)

Congress candidate Imran Masood won this seat with securing 5,47,967 votes and defeated BJP candidate Raghav Lakhanpal with +64,542 votes. Masood called himself a “descendant of Lord Rama by faith” during the campaign. The powerful Thakurs/Rajput’s of Saharanpur held a Mahapanchayat in Deoband before Lok Sabha Election and decided to vote in a non-BJP Candidate. This impacted the traditional majority votes of BJP and became a significant factor behind Masood’s victory.

Afzal Ansari, SP Candidate (Ghazipur, UP)

Afzal Ansari, for the second time secured his victory from Gazipur Constituency in UP and defeated his rival BJP Candidate Paras Nath Rai. Ansari got 5,39,912 votes and won with massive victory margin of more than 1 Lakh 24 thousand votes. Afzal is the brother of SP’s former MLA Mukhtar Ansari, who died in April, 2024. The death of Mukhtar also created an anger among the supporters of Mukhtar and created a narrative among Muslim voters about the repression faced in a BJP-ruled State towards Muslims.

Ghazipur’s parliamentary reach encompasses five assembly constituencies namely; Ghazipur Sadar, Jangipur, Zamania, and Jakhanian.

Mohibbullah, SP Candidate (Rampur, UP)

Samajwadi Party’s candidate Mohibbullah secured his victory by margin of 87,4334 votes and defeated his rival candidate BJP’s Ghanshyam Singh Lodhi who got 39,4069 votes. Mohibbullah got overall 48,1503 votes and registered his victory. SP fielded Mohibbullah in Rampur, a Muslim majoritarian seat where SP secured his victory.

Zia Ur Rahman, SP Candidate (Sambhal, UP)

SP candidate Zia Ur Rahman won the Sambhal Lok Sabha seat with a massive margin of 12,1494 votes while overall securing 57,1161 votes and defeated his rival BJP candidate Parmeshwar Lal Saini who got 44,9667 votes.

From West Bengal:

Yusuf Pathan, AITC Candidate (Baharampur, West Bengal)

TMC Candidate former cricketer Yusuf Pathan have won from Baharampur Constituency in West Bengal and secured 5,24,516 votes and defeated his rival Congress State President Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury. Yusuf Pathan secured 37.9% votes. Adhir blamed the BJP’s polarisation for his defeat.

Isha Khan Chaudhari, INC Candidate (Maldaha Dakshin, West Bengal)

From Maldha Dakshin Constituency, Indian National Congress Candidate Isha Khan Choudhary secured his victory with accruing 41.8% vote share. Khan got 5,72,395 votes and defeated his rival BJP candidate Sreerupa Mitra Chaudhary who got 4,72,395 votes.

Maldaha Dakshin (South) is among the few constituencies in the country where the minority population is in majority.

Khalil Ur Rahaman, AITC Candidate (Jangipur, West Bengal)

All India Trinamool Congress Candidate Khalilur Rahman secured his victory from Jangipur Lok Sabha Seat with a victory margin of 1,16,637 votes and secured overall 5,44,427 votes and defeated his rival Congress candidate Murtoja Hossain Bokul, who got 4,27,790 votes. TMC holds a major favor from Muslim Majority Lok Sabha seat for a period of time, even Khali Ur Rahaman since 2019 representing Jangipur in the Parliament.

Abu Taher Khan, AITC Candidate (Murshidabad, West Bengal)

In Murshidabad Lok Sabha seat Trinamool candidate Abu Taher registered his win with victorious margin of 1,64,214 votes and secured total 6,82,442 votes and defeated his opposite CPI (Marxist) candidate MD Salim who secured 5,18,227 votes. Murshidabad is also among few Muslim Majoritarian Lok Sabha Seats.

Sajda Ahmed, AITC Candidate (Uluberia, West Bengal)

With a massive victory margin of more than 2 lakh 80 thousand votes, Trinamool’s Candidate Sajda Ahmed secured her second consecutive victory with overall 7,24,622 votes and defeated rival BJP candidate Arunuday Paul Chowdhury, who got 5,05,949 votes and losses his election from Sajda. She is wife of late MP Sultan Ahmed.

In 2019 Lok Sabha election, Sajda defeated BJP’s Joy Banerjee and representing Uluberia Lok Sabha Seat since 2019.

SK Nurul Islam, AITC Candidate (Basirhat, West Bengal)

From Basirhat Lok Sabha seat, Trinamool’s SK Nurul Islam secured a significant victory with margin of more than 3 lakh votes i.e. 3,33,547 and got overall 8,03,762 votes and defeated his rival candidate BJP’s Rekha Patra who got 4,70,215 votes.

The Basirhat constituency was in the news lately due to the Sandeshkhali violence. BJP made Rekha Patra, one of the alleged victims of Sandeshkhali, its candidate from Basirhat. In the 2019 Lok Sabha Election, TMC candidate Nusrat Jahan won the seat by 3,50,369 votes, with the party receiving 54% of vote share while BJP secured 30.31% of vote share.

From Kerala:

E.T. Mohammed Basheer, IUML Candidate (Malappuram, Kerala)

Indian Union Muslim League candidate E.T. Mohammed Basheer secured this seat with a massive record victory with margin of 3,00118 votes and got overall 6,44,006 votes while defeating his rival CPI (Marxist) candidate V. Vaseef who got 3,43,888 votes and losses his election.

After Rahul Gandhi, the IUML victors in Malappuram and Ponnani claimed the second and their largest margins in the State.

Shafi Parambil, INC Candidate (Vadakara, Kerala)

Indian National Congress’s Shafi Parambil defeated his rival CPI (M) candidate KK Shailaja Teacher with a winning margin of 1,14,506 votes and got overall 5,57,528 votes. CPI candidate Shailaja got 4,43,022 votes and losses her election.

Shafi will soon resign from his state assembly membership, as he is representing Palakkad constituency from Kerala,

Dr. M.P. Abdussamad Samadani, IUML Candidate (Ponnani, Kerala)

Ponnani Lok Sabha Seat claimed by IMUL as third highest victory margin seat in the state. Dr. Samadani won this seat with a massive victory margin of 2,35,760 votes and secured overall 5,62,516 votes while defeating CPI (M) candidate K.S. Hamza who got 3,26,756 votes.

Ponnani is one of the 20 Lok Sabha constituencies in Kerala and is reserved for the SC category. It comprises seven assembly constituencies which are Tirurangadi, Tanur, Tirur, Kottakkal, Thavanur, Ponnani, and Thrithala. The constituency went to polls in the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections on April 26 and the voter turnout was recorded at 69.37%.

Jammu Kashmir:

Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, JKNC Candidate (Srinagar)

Jammu & Kashmir National Conference’s Candidate Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehndi has won from Srinagar Lok Sabha seat with winning margin of 1,88,416 and got total 3,56,866 votes (52.8%) and defeated his rival PDP candidate Waheed Ur Rehman Para who got 1,68,450 (24.9%) votes and losses his election.

Agha Ruhullah Mehdi said, “A big thank you to the people of Srinagar, Pulwama, Ganderbal, Shopian and Budgam for this mandate and faith in me. I am humbled and I am aware of the responsibility that this mandate brings with it. You have spoken democratically and spoken against the decisions of August 5, 2019.”

Mian Altaf Ahmad, JKNC Candidate (Anantnag-Rajouri)

National Conference leader Mian Altaf Ahmed won from Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat while securing 5,21,836 votes and defeated his rival candidate former Chief Minister and PDP Chief Mehbooba Mufti with a heavy margin of 2,81,794 votes. Mehbooba got 2,40,042 votes even not the half of the Mian Altaf’s total votes.

Abdul Rashid Shiekh (Jailed) Independent Candidate (Baramulla)

In Baramulla Parliamentary Constituency jailed candidate Abdul Rashid Shiekh contested Independent and defeated National Conference leader former chief minister of J&K Omar Abdullah with a heavy victory margin of more than 2 lakh votes. Rashid got 4,72,481 votes whereas Omar got only 2,68,339 votes.

Assam:

Rakibul Hussain, INC Candidate (Dhubri)

Indian National Congress Candidate Rakibul Hussain won his election with a very heavy margin victory securing 1471885 votes and defeated his rival candidate AIUDF’s Badruddin Ajmal who got 4,59,409 votes.

Hussain defeated Ajmal with a winning margin of 10,12,676 votes. This is a significant victory as the votes secured by Ajmal were less than half of the winning margin votes secured by Rakibul Hassain.

Bihar:

Mohammad Jawed, INC Candidate (Kishanganj)

In this Muslim majority Lok Sabha, Congress candidate Mohammad Jawed defeated the Janata Dal (United) “JDU” candidate Mujahid Alam by margin of 59,992 votes. Jawed secured overall 4,02,850 votes whereas, JDU candidate got 3,43,158 votes and was defeated by the Congress candidate.

Telangana:

Asaduddin Owaisi, AIMIM Candidate (Hyderabad)

All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen Chief Asaduddin Owaisi, who has been representing the Hyderabad Lok Sabha Constituency in Parliament since 2004,  registered his fifth consecutive win from Hyderabad Constituency. Owaisi’s winning margin of 338,087 votes exceeds his rival BJP Candidate Madhavi Latha’s votes. Madhavi Latha in election tried to polarize of both Hindu and Muslim votes but defeated by AIMIN President. Owaisi secured total 66,1981 votes whereas Latha got only 32,3894 votes even lesser than Owaisi’s winning margin.

The AIMIM president won the election by a massive margin of 338,087 votes, which was more than his previous record.

Ladakh:

Mohmad Haneefa, Independent Candidate (Ladakh)

Haneefa an Independent candidate from Ladakh won the Lok Sabha election securing 65,269 votes and defeated his rival Congress candidate Tsering Namgyal who got only 37,397 votes. Haneefa secured his victory by a margin of 27,862 votes. There is only one Parliamentary Constituency in Ladakh.

Tamil Nadu:

Navaskani K, IUML Candidate (Ramanathapuram)

Indian Union Muslim League’s Candidate Navaskani K won from Ramanathapuram Constituency by securing 50,96,64 votes and defeated his rival independent candidate Panneerselvam with more than 1.6 Lakh margin of votes. This constituency has a Hindu Majority population and Navaskani’s victory under these circumstances points towards a less polarized polity in the state.

Lakshadweep:

Muhammed Hamdullah Sayeed, INC Candidate (Lakshadweep)

In the Lakshadweep Lok Sabha seat Congress candidate Hamdullah secured his victory and defeated his rival Nationalist Congress Party candidate Mohammed Faizal PP with a narrow margin of 2647 votes. Hamdullah secured a total 25,726 votes whereas Mohammed Faizal got 23,079 votes.

There is only 1 Lok Sabha seat in Lakshadweep UT that INC has secured.

Conclusion:

From among the winning Muslim candidates elected in 2024 Lok Sabha, a majority contested from the tickets of Indian National Congress, Samajwadi Party, All India Trinamool Congress, key members of India alliance.

JKUL, IUML, AIMIM had also fielded its Muslim candidates in the 2024 Lok Sabha election and secured six Lok Sabha seats in J&K, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana, whereas TMC got five Muslim MPs elected, the INC got six, the SP got four Muslim MPs now with a seat in the 19^th Lok Sabha.

However, while Bahujan Samaj Party, highest fielded 35 Muslim candidates, none secured a victory with the community preferring the winning INDIA Alliance. Ignoring the fact that her Jatav (Dalit) base had also shifted significantly to the INC-SP combine, BSP Chief Mayawati was quick to single out the Muslim community for withdrawal of support. Muslims constitute 20 percent of the population of UP and Dalits around 21 percent of the population.

Last time round, Kunwar Danish Ali on BSP ticket in 2019 had been elected from the Amroha Lok Sabha Constituency. Few months later, Kunwar Danish Ali joined Indian National Congress. In 2024 Lok Sabha election congress fielded Danish from Amroha but failed to secure his seat and lost the election to the BJP candidate Kunwar Singh Tanwar.

Related:

Does the Muslim vote count? 

Amethi: Locals claim police beat up Muslims at polling booths

Three Banes of India’s Muslims: Victimhood Syndrome, Power Theology, Obsession with Identity Politics

The post Elections 2024: 23 Muslim Legislators represent 180 million Muslims in the 18th Lok Sabha appeared first on SabrangIndia.

This is from #Mudkhed, #Nanded, #Maharashtra.

On May 4, Social media influencer #KajalHindustani delivers #HateSpeech against #Muslims. She peddled anti-Muslim conspiracy theories and called for only doing trade with #Hindu businesses. pic.twitter.com/vlAiInx0U2

— Hate Detector (@HateDetectors) May 7, 2024

Solapur, Maharashtra

Another serial offender has raked Maharashtra with his hate speech once again on May 4.

BJP MLA from Telangana’s Ghoshamahal constituency in his speech asked the state’s chief minister Eknath Shinde to not campaign or ask Muslims for votes, and instead to ask from those who ‘save Gaumata.’ He also further called for not buying halal certified goods and demanded bulldozers to start demolitions in Maharashtra as well.

“We had heard of land jihad, and love jihad. Now we hear of vote jihad.’ Referring to Salman Khurshid’s comment for voters to commit vote jihad, he goes further, “There was a time, when ‘you’ did a lot of jihad, now is not that time anymore because if you do jihad now, Modiji will hammer you (thok denge).”

This is from #Solapur, #Maharashtra.#BJP legislator #TRajaSingh delivers dangerous speech condoning violence against #Muslims at an event seeking support for BJP Lok Sabha candidate #RamVithalSatpute.

He used anti-Muslim slurs, targeted Rohingya refugees and promoted various… pic.twitter.com/mhOBqkgHiq

— Hate Detector (@HateDetectors) May 6, 2024

Consequently, according to Siasat News, Singh along with Nitesh Rane were booked by the police for their speech on May 7th.

Ayanagar, Delhi

New Delhi’s Ayanagar reportedly saw a communally charged speech by BJP’s Rajya Sabha MP Rakesh Sinha who spoke of ‘chopping off fingers’ of those who ‘point fingers’ at Ram.

“I promise you that after 2024, the mosque from Kashi Vishwanath will be done for. The mosque in Mathura will also get done with. We are well aware of how to chop off the fingers of those pointing fingers at Bhagwan Ram, Bhagwan Krishna and Bhagwan Shiva’s temples. The incoming Narendra Modi government will remove the shadow that Mughals have cast over our Bhagwan Krishna’s Mandir after returning in 2024.”

This is from #Ayanagar, South Delhi.

On May 12, #BJP Rajya Sabha MP #RakeshSinha delivers inflammatory campaign speech: “I promise you that after 2024, the mosque from #KashiVishwanath will go, the mosque from #Mathura will go… We know how to chop off the fingers of those… pic.twitter.com/kK27rYBLSc

— Hate Detector (@HateDetectors) May 13, 2024

Nanded, Maharashtra

On May 4, Kajal Hindustani, a social media influencer, gave an incendiary speech, urging the Hindu community to do ‘love and land jihad.’

In the name of secularism, you are being played. Your brother is sitting like a butcher and is chopping you. In nine states and in many districts, Hindus have become a minority. After railway and the defence, Muslims own the most land. Our women, temples, land and gau mata are not safe. Nor is the Hindu safe in this country. You have only one nation. Other Hindus are running to India from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh. Indian government has promised them citizenship. But where will you go? The Hindu is running from here, from Assam, Bengal etc. Till when and where will you run? How much will you run? Our jihadi brother, he is dreaming of Ghazwa e Hind. What is Ghazwa e Hind? Making India an Islamic nation. They are working according to a terrorist, Talibani ideology. What are we doing? We are only raising slogans. Till when will you stay like this, watching your sister get targeted by ‘love-jihad?’ You get prepared, you too do ‘love-land jihad’, do religious conversions.”

This is from #Mudkhed, #Nanded, #Maharashtra.

On May 4, Social media influencer #KajalHindustani delivers #HateSpeech against #Muslims. She peddled anti-Muslim conspiracy theories and called for only doing trade with #Hindu businesses. pic.twitter.com/vlAiInx0U2

— Hate Detector (@HateDetectors) May 7, 2024

Navneet Rana gave a hate-filled speech on May 9 while campaigning for the BJP’s Madhavi Latha who is contesting from Hyderabad.

She was speaking to Asaduddin Owaisi and his brother Akbaruddin Owaisi, “The younger brother says ‘remove the police for 15 minutes so that we can show them what we can do’. I want to tell the younger brother that it might take you 15 minutes, but for us it will only take 15 seconds. it will take us all of 15 seconds if we come to it.”

#WATCH | Hyderabad, Telangana: Amravati MP and BJP candidate from the constituency, Navnit Ravi Rana says, “…The younger brother (Akbaruddin Owaisi) says “Police ko 15 minute hata do toh hum dikhayenge ki hum kya kar sakte hain.” I would like to tell him, it took you 15… pic.twitter.com/YYutjVI73h

— ANI (@ANI) May 9, 2024

Similarly, on May 11 in Maharashtra’s Aurangabad she made the following speech.

“We don’t need 15 minutes to finish you up. We can do it in 15 seconds. I am not scared of any ‘Pakistan ki aulad’.” Pakistan ki aulaad is a slur used to refer to Muslims in India. He continues saying, “Ayodhya was just a glimpse, Kashi and Mathura are left.”

This is from #Aurangabad, #Maharashtra.

On May 11, “We don’t need 15 minutes to finish you, we can do it in 15 seconds. I am not scared of any “#Pakistan ki aulaad”. #Ayodhya was just a glimpse, #Kashi and #Mathura are left,” said #BJP Lok Sabha candidate #NavneetRana.… pic.twitter.com/fQ1npBhCAk

— Hate Detector (@HateDetectors) May 14, 2024

Kalkaji, Delhi

Notorious offender and BJP Leader Kapil Mishra, who shot to fame for his hate speech after the northeast Delhi riots for saying “Desh ke Gaddaron ko, Goli maaro saalon ko.”, is once again in the news for giving highly charged hate speech.

If one lane has two houses, one man has two kids one has 12. Allah ki dene” The crowd laughs, “Now the government says to combine property of both, and give equally to both. Now who will get the most money?’ The crowd jeers. “Are they not giving 10,000 rupees to laundya (slur), to Rohingyas. Now, you have a look at any photo of any Rohingya woman, have you seen? Four kids in the side, fifth in her hand, and the sixth – ?” The crowd jeers that the sixth is in her ‘stomach. Is it not the case? These Rohingya and Bangladeshi are taking money for going to school and giving to those who go to madrasa. Will we let that happen? Also, secondly, they will take the reservation given to Dalits, OBCs, and Adivasi and give it to Muslims. Will we let that happen?”

This is from #Kalkaji, #NewDelhi.

On May 11, #BJP leader #KapilSharma delivers extremely inflammatory speech against #Muslims and Rohingya refugees.#LokSabhaElections2024 pic.twitter.com/3y8NKmAroJ

— Hate Detector (@HateDetectors) May 13, 2024

Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh

On May 23, Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh witnessed a speech charged with communal tones by BJP MP and Minister of Information and Broadcasting of India, Anurag Singh Thakur. He was speaking about alleged “Muslim appeasement” by Congress. The phrase is often used as a bogey by right-wing supporters as a dog whistle.

“Congress will give reservations to Muslims and they will distribute property amongst people having more wives and children.”

This is from #Hamirpur, #HimachalPradesh.

On May 23, “#Congress will give reservations to #Muslims and they will distribute property amongst people having more wives and children,” said #BJP leader #AnuragSinghThakur.#LokSabhaElections2024 pic.twitter.com/FeuJ4MKg7L

— Hate Detector (@HateDetectors) May 24, 2024

Kolhapur, Maharashtra.

On May 20, Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s General Secretary Surendra Jain’s speech similarly made a charged speech filled with conspiracy theories directed against Muslims. He made the speech in Maharashtra’s Kolhapur, saying “Wherever Hindus are a minority, they are in danger. Fear mongers about Muslims and Christians sending money from abroad to convert Hindus in India. Hindus are being tricked into Christianity. We are under attack from Muslims and Christians.”

He further spoke of a united ‘Akhand Bharat,’ invoking countries such as Germany, Israel and Vietnam, and demanding that Hindu land in Pakistan and Bangladesh be “brought back.”

This is from #KaneriMath, #Kolhapur, #Maharashtra.

On May 20, Top themes of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (#VHP) General Secretary Surendra Jain’s speech: “Wherever #Hindus are a minority they are in danger. Fear mongers about #Muslims and #Christians sending money from abroad to… pic.twitter.com/ySJGYZLSI5

— Hate Detector (@HateDetectors) May 24, 2024

Deoghar, Jharkhand

On May 22, repeated hate speech giver, Himanta Biswa Sarma reportedly spoke in Jharkhand and gave a communally charged speech. He said, “Assam has suffered due to infiltrators and Rohingya. The Infiltrators consist of about 36% of the population, they have come from Bangladesh and settled in Assam. In 10 years, Jharkhand will be like Assam as well (with regards to the migrant population), the demography will change. It’s under the rule of the opposition that most infiltration happens.”

He further spoke about Kashi and Mathura as well, “We need 400 seats to build these temples; Madrasa & Mulla. It’s not our job to make Mullas. I shut down about 700 Madrasas in one day. Hemant Soren allows namaz in the state assembly, so if that happened then we should also be able to recite the Hanuman Chalisa. They are giving Fridays off, we have to stop it like I did in 12 districts of Assam. Vote for us to stop infiltration, build the Krishna Janmabhoomi Temple and the Gyanvapi Mandir. Vote for a united Kashmir and vote to shut down all these Madrasas.”

This is from #Deoghar, #Jharkhand.

On May 22, Top themes of #HimantaBiswaSarma’s campaign speech: “#Assam has suffered due to infiltrators and #Rohingya. The Infiltrators are 36% of the Population, they have come from #Bangladesh and settled in Assam. In 10 years, Jharkhand will… pic.twitter.com/h07T9AoHMG

— Hate Detector (@HateDetectors) May 25, 2024

Palghar, Maharashtra

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath further sparked controversy as he claimed that the Azaan (call to prayer) will disappear from mosques in the next five years. He made the speech in Palghar, Maharashtra.

According to The Observer Post, he said, “Today you must be seeing that all the encroachments in Uttar Pradesh have been removed. Now, no one even thinks about riots there. Now no one offers prayers on the streets in Uttar Pradesh. Even the loudspeakers from the mosques have been taken down. In the next five years, you will see that people will forget that these things even existed.” The report states that a complaint against this statement has been filed at the ECI.

On May 29, the chief minister of UP again made a speech laced with communal sentiments, talking about how ‘Muslims will implement personal law,’ “They will implement Muslim personal law. They will become a Taliban regime. Women will have to wear Burqa and they won’t be able to go to school or markets. They want to bring back triple talaq and they want to implement the sharia law. This won’t happen under the BJP. ‘They’ will implement an inheritance tax and through it will X-ray your assets and distribute them among Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Afghan, and Rohingya infiltrators. Aurangzeb’s soul has entered Congress, and now the Inheritance tax is the new jizya. Let’s keep Aurangzeb buried.”

Sangli, Maharashtra

T Raja Singh once again made an inflammatory speech. Singh said, “Shoot in the chest of people who do ‘love-jihad’.” He also encouraged young Hindus to learn how to use weapons and to not hold fear for killing a “love jihadi.”

The event was reportedly organised by Sakal Hindu Samaj.

In #Maharashtra‘s #Sangli, #BJP MLA #TRajaSingh incited violence against #Muslims. He asked #Hindus to shoot down in the chest of those who convert people and are involved in ‘#LoveJihad‘. He also said ‘shoot the landya (Muslims)’ by referring the statement to #BalThackeray. pic.twitter.com/BcGoAOE2jy

— Hate Detector (@HateDetectors) May 28, 2024

Mustafabad, Delhi

In Northeast Delhi which is seeing a contest between incumbent BJP leader and singer Manoj Tiwari and Congress’ Kanhaiya Kumar, Kapil Mishra once again gave a speech on May 21, alluding to finding an “Afzal” in “every home”, and how PM Modi will “treat these diseases.”

“They used to ask “how many Afzals will you kill”, and that “you will find Afzal in each household.” Well, from wherever Afzal comes out, we will enter the house and kill him. Till when will they come out? They have stopped now.”

This is from #Mustafabad, North East Delhi.

On May 21, #BJP leader #KapilMishra in an election meeting says “They asked how many Afzals you will kill? You will find Afzal in each household. Wherever Afzal comes out, we will enter that house and kill him. For how long will they… pic.twitter.com/vgAFattdca

— Hate Detector (@HateDetectors) May 24, 2024

He further adds that the people have only seen a “trailer” and a “calm” Narendra Modi, who was laying the “foundation” for removing “termites.” In the coming third term, he argues, all these “diseases will be treated.”

Kendrapara, Odisha

On May 26, Himanta Biswa Sarma once again gave a communally charged speech in Odisha, saying, “Sri Ram Janambhumi has happened, but in Mathura, our Krishna Janambhumi, the Shahi Eidgah stands at that place. In Kashi, our Vishvanath Baba’s temple had Gyanvapi Temple, now it continues to remain Gyanvapi Mosque. Give Modji 400 seats and across, we have to build Krishna Janamibhumi and Gyanvapi Temple.”

This is from #Kendrapara, #Odisha.

On May 26, “#Kashi & #Mathura; Give 400 seats we will make the temples,” said #HimantaBiswaSarma.#LokSabhaElections2024 pic.twitter.com/nAanQLSvc7

— Hate Detector (@HateDetectors) May 30, 2024

On May 28, Sarma made similar such speeches at Bhadrak and Kakatpur in Odisha, arguing for the need to stop Muslim men from marrying four wives and implementing the Uniform Civil Code.

Ballia, Uttar Pradesh

On May 29 in Ballia, Uttar Pradesh, Home Minister Amit Shah similarly made a speech charging Congress of ‘Muslim appeasement’, “Electricity was only available during Ramzan, but now it is available for 18 hours a day. The Congress party wants to give reservations meant for Dalits, Adivasis, and Scheduled Castes to Muslims, as they have already done in Karnataka and Hyderabad. We will never allow this to happen.”

This is from #Ballia, #UttarPradesh.

On May 29, “Electricity only used to come in #Ramzan now its available 18 hours a day. #Congress wants to give #Muslims reservations which are meant for #Dalits, #Adivasi and SCs. They have already done so in #Karnataka and #Hyderabad. We… pic.twitter.com/VBnDPgBTCp

— Hate Detector (@HateDetectors) May 31, 2024

Related:

Spewing hate, slurring Muslims: an unchecked decade-long diatribe by Bharatiya Janata Party?

Hindutva groups seen holding weapons training camps and rallies in the past month in 4 BJP-ruled states

Repeat offender among suspects in lynching of Muslim man in Gujarat

Series of poll violations by ruling BJP. Inaction by ECI says Independent Panel

‘Inflammatory, communal’: Modi inciting hate in Jharkhand, poll official told

Bombay HC orders removal of derogatory posts “baselessly” attacking Malabar Gold, calls Kajal Shingala’s call to boycott the brand “prima facie defamatory”

The post Rising tide of hate speech marks India’s general assembly election campaigns appeared first on SabrangIndia.

As per the poll predictions of Eedina, the Indian National Congress party, which is also governing the state after winning the assembly elections, will continue to maintain its lead in Karnataka over others in the Lok Sabha elections. As per the predictions, Congress party will be winning 15 seats will the Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA will be able to win 13 seats in the state. It is also essential to note that as per the predictions of Eedina which were released prior to the beginning of the election, it had been alleged that Congress party might be able to secure anywhere between 13 to 18 seats, with a vote share of 46.4%.

If the predictions of the Eedina hold true, the BJP-JD(S) alliance will be able to secure 10 to 13 seats, with a vote share of 44.27%. It is also essential to note that the poll predictions of Eedina for the state assembly elections, which had predicted a win for the Congress Party, had held to be accurate.

Eedina has also released their predictions for the following states:

For the state of Telangana, Eedina has predicted that Congress will be able to win a total of 10 seats while BJP will win 4 to 5 seats and BRS to win 2-3 seats.

For Tamil Nadu, a state where BJP has been trying to making their significant entry, Eedina has projected the NDA to be able to win 1 seat while the INDIA alliance has been predicted to bag 38 seats.

For the state of Kerala, which is another state that has consistently opposed the saffron party and their politics based on communalism, INDIA is forecasted to win 19 seats and NDA only 1 seat.

The complete video can be viewed here:

#Breaking #ExitPoll #LokSabaElections2024

The most accurate Eedina survey about Karnataka, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala came out

In-fact Eedina throws a challenge to all exit polls and to Axis My India’s Pradeep Gupta specifically keeping Karnataka in context.

According… pic.twitter.com/vTPZpjdBGr

— Swati Dixit ಸ್ವಾತಿ (@vibewidyou) June 3, 2024

 Eedina’s challenge to the exit polls:

In addition to releasing their poll findings, Eedina had also sternly denounced the exit polls that had been released by mainstream media houses, some of which are surveys like India Today – Axis My India, News24 – Today’s Chanakya, and Republic-Matrize, and had rather demanded for them to discuss their methodology in collecting the data on which their findings are based upon.

As per a video uploaded on YouTube, Eedina‘s research team members Dr Vasu and Bharath, raised concerns behind the surveys upon which the mainstream media are basing their findings and releasing the exit polls. The concerns raised by the team of Eedina was based upon their own recent surveys in Karnataka, through which the team has alleged that the sampling methodologies adopted as well as the outcomes of these exit polls do not align with Karnataka’s demographics and voter preferences. The aforementioned realisation then prompted for the Eedina team to challenge the exit poll results. It is essential to note that most of the surveys released by the mainstream media has shown BJP winning the Lok Sabha elections of 2024 in the state of Karnataka quite comfortably.

Additionally, Eedina has also raised a call for increasing transparency in the exit polls by promoting the agencies to release their sample size, sampling methodology, or the demographic breakdown of their samples. As per Eedina, following the practice of full disclosure will then enable the people to realise the sampling biases that might have crawled in during the surveys. Some of the concerns highlighted by Eedina were under-sampling of women and the less educated voters.

As per Eedina, by ensuring and promoting transparency, the accuracy of these exit polls can then be checked and the public, which could have been misled or influence by biased exit polls, can then re-evaluate their perception.

The complete video can be viewed here:

Related:

FactChecked: 2024 Lok Sabha exit polls reveal conflicting predictions

DB Live predictions cast shadow on BJP’s aspirations on gaining majority in Lok Sabha elections, predictions 255-291 seats for INDIA bloc

Why Indian exit polls are often biased and favour the ruling party

Hasty exit poll conducted during the seventh phase of voting in Bengal

The post Eedina predicts 15 seats for Congress in Karnataka in contradiction to the mainstream surveys; challenges other exit pollsters on their accuracy appeared first on SabrangIndia.

The concern arises from the much referred to conduct of the statutory body, the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the ECI’s refusal to disclose the exact numbers of votes cast in each booth of every constituency and to make form 17(C) of conduct of election Rules available to the public, along with the minimal action taken against hate speech targeting minorities and opposition parties by senior leaders of the ruling party, are major concerns.

All these former High Court judges, who have no affiliation to any political party, but strongly committed to the ideals enshrined in the Constitution of India, and to the values of electoral democracy, have penned this communication “with a deep anguish at the recent and present goings-on with regard to the parliamentary elections-2024.”

The signatories are G.M. Akbar Ali, former judge, Madras High Court,  Aruna Jagadeesan, former judge, Madras High Court, D. Hariparanthaman, former judge, Madras High Court, Anjana Prakash, former judge, Patna High Court, P.R. Shivakumar, former judge, Madras High Court,  C.T. Selvam, former judge, Madras High Court and S. Vimala, former judge, Madras High Court.

“India is going through an electoral process of immense importance that could determine the very future of its democracy and survival of its constitution. The polling is finally over and June 4, 2024 will be the final chapter of the eighteenth general elections to the Parliament of the world’s most populous country. During this protracted and massive exercise, more than anyone else, India’s working people, its farmers, its women and its youth have reaffirmed their abiding faith in India’s democracy by lining up in large numbers even in the searing heat of summer” states the letter.

The higher judiciary, the election commission, the chief electoral officers in every state and returning officers are the constitutional authorities vested with the onerous responsibility of the free and fair conduct of elections in such a way as to retain the faith of ordinary citizens.

“Several events over the past weeks are making for a very grim storyline; one that may possibly end in a violent conclusion. These are genuine apprehensions in the minds of the vast majority of our people. Reputed civil and human rights organizations and activists have also echoed the same apprehension. There was genuine concern about the way the General Election – 2024 is being conducted by the Election Commission of India (ECI) and that if the present ruling dispensation loses people’s mandate the transition of power may not be smooth and there could be a constitutional crisis.

“In this context the signatories have also referred to the open statement issued by Constitutional Conduct Group (CCG) of former civil servants on 25 May 2024:

“… During the 2024 general elections, concerns have been raised at many points about the fairness of the elections… It pains us to say that no Election Commission in the past has been as reluctant as the present one to discharge its duties, despite violations being repeatedly brought to its attention by responsible organisations and respected members of society.”

Stating that they are constrained to agree with the scenario envisaged in the above statement: “In the event of a hung parliament, onerous responsibilities will be placed upon the shoulders of the President of India. We are sure that she will follow the established democratic precedent of first inviting the pre-poll alliance that garnered the largest number of seats. Also, that she would endeavour to pre-empt the possibilities of horse-trading….”

Since, “at this critical juncture, the Supreme Court of India, as the final authority vested with power by “We, the People” to defend and protect the Constitution and democracy, should be ready to take proactive action to prevent any potential catastrophe or to address any monstrous situations that may arise during counting and declaration of results of candidates who have contested in Lok Sabha 2024 elections, requiring immediate intervention by the Honorable Supreme Court.

Hence, therefore, “We, The People of India,” as Citizens of a Sovereign, Socialist, Secular, Democratic Republic hereby call upon the Supreme Court to ensure presence and attendance of the top five esteemed Justices of the Supreme Court even during the period of the ongoing summer vacation and be available to respond in the event of any constitutional crisis that might emerge in the present situation.

The letter also states that the signatories hope that their “apprehensions are wrong and the elections would end smoothly with counting of votes and declaration of results done in a fair and honest manner and formation of parliament as well as transition of power taking place as per the mandate of the people without a hiccup. Nevertheless, the undersigned believe in the old adage- ‘prevention is better than cure!’”

Hence the communication is a reminder to “each of the authorities and institutions charged with the integrity of the process of democratic government formation of their paramount duty to abide by and uphold the Constitution of India”.

The communication “brings forth the solemn pledge that India’s first citizen, the President of India, takes to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution and the law” and to devote herself “to the service and the well-being of the people of India.” The signatories have expressed the expectation and faith that it is these principles that will be Smt Murmu’s guiding light and the. The guiding light of all concerned.

The letter may be read in full here:

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