Muslim voters | SabrangIndia News Related to Human Rights Thu, 21 Nov 2024 10:43:46 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.2.2 https://sabrangindia.in/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Favicon_0.png Muslim voters | SabrangIndia 32 32 Voting manipulation and police brutality plague 8 out of 15 by-poll seats; Muslim voters denied their right to vote in UP https://sabrangindia.in/voting-manipulation-and-police-brutality-plague-8-out-of-15-by-poll-seats-muslim-voters-denied-their-right-to-vote-in-up/ Thu, 21 Nov 2024 04:11:45 +0000 https://sabrangindia.in/?p=38883 Voter suppression and manipulation marred 8 out of 15 by-poll seats, with 7 in Uttar Pradesh witnessing blatant violations of fair voting practices and denial of votes to Muslim voters. In Punjab's Dera Baba Nanak, violent clashes erupted between AAP and Congress workers. In UP, police were seen to have brutally attacked voters demanding their right to vote. The ECI, initially a silent spectator, was eventually pressured by the opposition to suspend 7 officers for obstructing voters and verifying ballots.

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]]> A voter turnout of over 50% was recorded in the bypolls for 15 Assembly seats across Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Kerala, and Uttarakhand on Wednesday, November 20, 2024. Especially, voting in the bypolls for nine assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh saw a slow start on Wednesday, with turnout failing to exceed 60% in any constituency. Ghaziabad recorded a particularly low turnout of just 33%. In comparison, the state had a 61.03% turnout in the 2022 Assembly elections.

Voting began at 7 a. m. in constituencies including Katehari, Karhal, Mirapur, Ghaziabad, Majhawan, Sisamau, Khair, Phulpur, and Kundarki, with polls scheduled to close at 5 p. m. By the 5 the 5 p. m. update, voter turnout figures were as follows: Ghaziabad 33.30%, Katehari 56.69%, Khair 46.43%, Kundarki 57.32%, Karhal 53.92%, Majhawan 50.41%, Meerapur 57.02%, Phulpur 43.43%, and Sisamau 49.03%.

Sabrang India reported multiple incidents of voter suppression across Uttar Pradesh’s Meerapur, Kundarki, and Sisamau assembly constituencies on November 20, 2024. As by-elections for 15 seats concluded at 6 pm, 8 out of 15 seats saw blatant violations of voting rights. Particularly troubling were the reports from 7 of the 9 seats in Uttar Pradesh, where Muslim women were allegedly denied their right to vote based on their religious identity. Hundreds of videos surfaced on social media, exposing these violations and raising concerns about the fairness of the elections. Additionally, clashes erupted between AAP and Congress workers in Punjab’s Dera Baba Nanak seat.

Muslim women voters stopped by police, IDs and voting slips illegally verified

SP chief Akhilesh Yadav shared a video from Kakrouli, Meerapur, showing a police officer in riot gear pointing a gun at women. In a post on X, he tagged the Election Commission, urging immediate suspension of the Kakrouli SHO. He accused the officer of preventing voters from casting their votes by threatening them with a revolver.

“Election Commission should immediately suspend SHO of Kakrouli police station area of Meerapur because he is stopping voters from casting their votes by threatening them with a revolver.” He wrote on X

Akhilesh Yadav also shared another video showing burqa-clad women claiming they were being prevented by police from reaching the polling station. In Ibrahimpur, Muslim women faced mistreatment and were denied the right to vote. Expressing concern on his official X handle, Yadav urged the Election Commission to take immediate action against the Station House Officer (SHO) responsible for the incident.

“There should be immediate suspension action against the SHO who used indecent behaviour and language with women to prevent them from casting their votes in Ibrahimpur,” he wrote on X.

Shockingly, voters were reportedly also stopped by police from casting their votes at booth number 65 in the Katehari Assembly of Ambedkar Nagar.

While the legal mandate to check voters’ IDs and slips lies with the presiding officer and their team, as clarified by the Chief Electoral Officer of Uttar Pradesh in an order dated November 19, 2024, police personnel deployed at polling booths in UP blatantly violated this rule on poll day i.e. November 20, 2024. Despite the mandate, police personnel demanded voters, particularly Muslim voters, show their IDs. Many were forcibly turned away and prevented from proceeding to the polling booths, effectively denying them their right to vote.


Viral photo shows cop holding stone in hands

A viral photo from Uttar Pradesh has shocked and raised concerns over police actions, particularly highlighting the selective treatment of Muslim voters. In the troubling photo surfaced on social media, a UP policeman is seen holding a stone, which has sparked questions over the oppressive police action. The photo has drawn attention to alleged illegal practices by the UP Police during by-election duties, with many questioning the force’s conduct and its approach to handling voters during the election process. SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav slammed the UP government over police brutality against voters. He posted on X:

“Oppressive rulers have created such conditions, Giving stones to those meant to protect us.

The country says today, “we don’t want the BJP!”


SP demanded re-polling on Kundarki assembly constituency

On Wednesday, the Samajwadi Party (SP) called for repolling in the Kundarki Assembly seat, alleging fraudulent voting and a deliberate attempt to prevent voters from a specific community from reaching polling stations. Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate, Mohammad Rizwan wrote to the Election Commission, requesting the cancellation of the election

However, Mohammad Rizwan confronted police officers who were checking voter IDs and slips at a barricade near a polling booth. Rizwan lodged a complaint with the Election Commission (ECI), accusing police of misconduct, including physically assaulting polling agents and obstructing voters, particularly in Milak Sikri. He alleged that police actions were aimed at disrupting the election process and intimidating party agents. Voters in Kundarki reported being questioned about their party choice, with those supporting the SP facing abrasive treatment and, in some cases, being denied the right to vote. Rizwan claimed the administration was actively preventing SP supporters from voting.

Rizwan claimed that SP supporters and other voters were subjected to extreme police atrocities, with reports of intimidation and obstruction. According to the candidate, the local administration was actively preventing and threatening Samajwadi Party supporters from exercising their right to vote.

 

 

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A post shared by Haji Mohd Rizwan (@mohdrizwanmla)

Full story can be read here

ECI suspended 7 Policemen in UP over violations

Despite numerous videos circulating on X and other social media platforms, in which Muslim women alleged vote denial based on their religious identity, the Election Commission of India (ECI) initially remained silent. After facing pressure from the opposition, the ECI eventually took action and suspended seven police personnel, including three from Moradabad, two from Kanpur, and two from Muzaffarnagar.

These videos highlighted how voters supporting the Samajwadi Party (SP) were allegedly mistreated by the administration, with claims of rude behavior and intimidation. Many reported being denied the right to vote, particularly those pressing the SP’s cycle button.

It was after Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav accused police of unlawfully checking voter IDs and Aadhaar cards, publicly and repeatedly on ‘X’, formerly twitter,  urging the Election Commission to take action, that the poll body began to address the issue. Yadav’s accusations highlighted the BJP’s alleged influence on the administration to suppress votes and engage in foul play. While the ECI did suspend several officers, its initial inaction on the widespread complaints only fueled doubts about its impartiality.

Additionally, in a statement, Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Ridwa clarified that five police officers have been suspended in response to complaints of irregularities during voting. He emphasised that all voters arriving to cast their votes would undergo ID verification, but this responsibility lies solely with the polling station staff. Police officers are not authorized to check IDs, and any police personnel found performing this task will face strict action.

Punjab records 59.67% voter turnout till 5 PM in 4 Assembly Constituencies

In the Punjab by-polls across 4 assembly constituencies, the overall voter turnout reached an average of 59.67% by 5 PM. The turnout for individual seats was as follows: Dera Baba Nanak recorded 59.8%, Chabbewal (SC) saw 48.0%, Gidderbaha had the highest turnout at 78.1%, and Barnala recorded 52.7%.

While the election proceeded peacefully in most areas, a clash broke out between AAP and Congress workers at the Dera Pathana polling booth in Gurdaspur, creating a brief moment of tension. Despite this, the by-poll remained peaceful.

Palakkad (Kerala) bypoll turnout crosses 50%

With just half an hour remaining before polling stations close in the Palakkad by-election, voter turnout had reached 65.98%, with 1,28,484 votes cast out of 1,94,706 registered voters. Of the 1,00,290 women voters in the constituency, 66,162 have already cast their votes, reflecting active participation in the election process. The final turnout is expected to increase as the voting period concludes.

Kedarnath recorded 56.78 % turnout till 5 PM

As of 5 PM, the voter turnout in the Kedarnath by-election reached 56.78%, according to the Chief Electoral Officer of Uttarakhand. Voting began at 8 a.m. and concluded at 6 p.m.

However, senior advocate Prashant Bhushan criticised the illegal police interference in checking IDs, posting on X, he said that. “There are many credible reports of gross police interference with voting today. Police are preventing minorities from voting under the guise of checking ID cards. How is this permissible @ECISVEEP? Are you allowing @Uppolice to control elections?”

 

Hence, the by-elections for 15 assembly seats across Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Kerala, and Uttarakhand on November 20, 2024, were marred by significant voter suppression and police misconduct. In Uttar Pradesh, 8 out of the 15 seats experienced blatant violations of voting rights, with Muslim women and other voters being denied the right to vote based on their religious identity. The Election Commission, initially silent, eventually suspended seven police officers in response to widespread allegations of illegal ID checks and voter obstruction. Violent clashes between AAP and Congress workers were also reported in Punjab’s Dera Baba Nanak. The low turnout, especially in Uttar Pradesh, raised concerns about the integrity of the election process.

The Election Commission’s delayed response to these violations further undermined public confidence in its impartiality. On November 23, 2024, the results for all 15 by-election seats will be announced, with voter suppression and electoral misconduct continuing to cast a shadow over the legitimacy of the outcomes. The gaze will then be on the integrity of the counting process, especially after serious concerns have been expressed about the concealment of actual voting figures — constituency-wise—by the ECI before counting begins, at 8 am on November 23.

Related:

https://sabrangindia.in/up-by-elections-reports-of-serious-disturbances-and-disruption-of-voters/

https://cjp.org.in/counting-of-votes-and-post-counting-remedies-to-the-victim-candidates-of-a-tainted-election-process/

https://sabrangindia.in/vote-for-democracy-vfd-releases-report-on-the-conduct-of-general-election-2024/

 

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]]> Amethi: Locals claim police beat up Muslims at polling booths https://sabrangindia.in/amethi-locals-claim-police-beat-up-muslims-at-polling-booths/ Mon, 20 May 2024 08:03:50 +0000 https://sabrangindia.in/?p=35500 After Sambhal, reports of Muslims being beaten at the poll booth as India’s 18th Lok Sabha elections continue in its fifth phase.

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]]> As the Lok Sabha elections are underway, reports have now come in from Uttar Pradesh’s Amethi of police lathi-charging at poll booths which are located near Muslim concentrated areas. The incident took place at Tiloi at polling booth 309. Another polling booth at the Government Inter-college also witnessed this where Muslim women were especially seen being pressured, as per ground reports.

Sabrang India’s sources have also shared a video from the ground, where the local Muslims have shown the injuries they got from the police. They can be seen saying that the police indiscriminately started beating up people for no reason. The locals have also said that people from the Muslim community were especially beaten.

On May 20, 49 constituencies went to vote across the country in the fifth phase of the country’s Lok Sabha elections. As per a report by Business Insider, Uttar Pradesh saw the second highest count in voting till 9 am today at 12 %, followed by Jharkhand and Ladakh at 11 % and 10% each.

Sabrang India has earlier looked at how several states have seen election related violations and harassment by the BJP in this voting phase alone.  Telangana for instance witnessed BJP candidate Madhavi Latha demand Muslim women voters at polling booths to uncover their faces and show their identity cards as well. Similarly, there was police violence outside a polling booth in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal and many Muslim said that they were unable to file their vote. Local resident Muslims also stated that the police beat them violently and even snatched their documents they had brought with them to vote. These reports come at a time when Muslims representatives contesting in the elections have also decreased. In 2019’s elections, various parties, except for the BJP, had given 115 Muslim candidates, however, in 2024 only 78 such candidates have been put forth.

 

Related:

Accused of not voting for “free ration”, Dalit man beaten brutally in UP

Reports of poll guidelines breached as India completes fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections

Reports of bogus voting from Maharashtra’s Beed and Pune

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

Delhi candidate Kanhaiya Kumar attacked during campaign 

 

 

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]]> Reports from UP’s Sambhal claim that several members of the Muslim community prevented from exercising their vote https://sabrangindia.in/reports-from-ups-sambhal-claim-that-several-members-of-the-muslim-community-prevented-from-exercising-their-vote/ Wed, 08 May 2024 04:51:53 +0000 https://sabrangindia.in/?p=35178 Videos have emerged of resident Muslims claiming they were lathi charged at the polling booths. Samajwadi Party, which has won several times in the region, has also supported this claim.

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]]> In Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal, harrowing news has been coming in of Muslim women being turned away from voting. A video has even surfaced of a voter saying that the police had lathi-charged Muslims who turned up to vote. Sambhal went to vote in the third phase of the country’s 18th Lok Sabha elections. Elderly men and women and youth from the Muslim community have shown minor injuries where they claim were from the police force used against them when they went to vote.

Sambhal has long been a stronghold of the Samajwadi Party, whose Muslim candidate Shafiqur Rahman Barq was a five-time MP in the constituency. His grandson, now fighting on the same seat after his death, Zia ur Rahman Barq was also witnessed on camera raising allegations against the police of preventing Muslims residents of Sambhal from exercising their rights to vote.

In another video, locals have claimed that the police snatched their ‘parchi’, slips, and also used the lathi on them as they went to vote. One youth also stated that he was hit on his face, very close to his eye.

The Samajwadi Party’s official X account also posted about Muslim voters being denied the right to vote. Muslims constitute over 77% of Sambhal’s population. As per the Indian government’s census of 2011, 77.67 % of city population follow Islam. Following this, the second largest community is the Jatav community at 2.30 lakhs, Yadavs at 1.40 lakh, Sainis at 1.15 lakh, and 1.7 lakh of the population consists of upper castes.

Meanwhile, the Sambhal police have alleged that they have uncovered a racket of 50 people trying to vote on the basis of fake voter identity cards.

 

Local news outlet UPTak has stated that at a booth in Sambhal, BJP candidate Parmeshwar Lal Saini caught a Muslim person and accused him of casting fake vote for the BJP candidate. There was a heated argument between the BJP candidate and the person who had come to cast fake votes for the BJP supporters. Parmeshwar Lal Saini is contesting once again for the seat in Sambhal, he had lost last time to SP’s Shafiqur Rahman Barq.

Interestingly, the Deccan Herald reported on May 2nd, that the Lucknow police had detained a BJP official for making a video advising people in Sambhal to make a ruckus at the booths in Sambhal. The BJP leader, Bhuvanesh Varshneya, had reportedly told party workers to make a ruckus outside the ballot booth when they saw a large number of women to prevent them from voting. He was also heard telling the party workers to ‘bribe’ the police, “Give the cops between Rs 100 to Rs 500 for refreshment. Keep an eye on the turnout in opposition dominated booths.” The report also claimed that the police detained Varshney, however, the video had gone viral in the area.

 

Related:

Displaced and denied the right to fish, Muslim fishermen in Gujarat now prevented from voting

Assam sees final day of polling after break-neck campaign unleashed by parties

Demand Independence, ECI should publish figures of each round of polls: Congress President Kharge

RSS & BJP have already caused enough damage: In conversation with path-breaking novelist Devanur Mahadevan

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]]> Does the Muslim vote count?  https://sabrangindia.in/does-the-muslim-vote-count/ Mon, 10 Jul 2023 12:02:56 +0000 https://sabrangindia.in/?p=28357 Declining Representation of Muslim MPs in India raises serious questions about representation and voice for the marginalised in India given that the disturbing trends reveal that regions and seats, in parts of the country where Muslims are significant in number, are reported to have near zero representation of the community. 

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]]> “Democracy is more likely to develop and endure when all segments of a society are free to participate and influence political outcomes without suffering bias or reprisal.”

There has been much ado regarding the Muslim vote. What of the Muslim parliamentarian? A recent report by The Hindu reveals that there are no elected Muslim Ministers of Parliament in areas that have a high concentration of Muslims.

As reported by SabrangIndia, a paper by the think tank Hindu Centre for Politics and Public Policy written by Gilles Vernier notes that there are 34 out of 80 Lok Sabha constituencies and 130 out of 403 assembly constituencies where the Muslim population is of considerable strength in number.

Furthermore, according to the report by The Hindu, the presence of Muslim MPs is inversely proportionate to the presence of BJP MPs. Interestingly the report also notes that the share of Muslim MP’s from the Indian National Congress has also declined by 7.5 % from its peak in the year in the sixth, seventh and eighth Lok Sabha, years 1977-1989. These were the Janata Party ruled coalition years, ironically.Given that the traditional support base of the grand old party spanned across privileged sections and also inspired support from marginalised sections, both Dalits and Muslims, this decline is telling: it speaks of a representation crisis not just of the Muslim community in general but of marginalised sections with the minority Muslims –Pasmanda including Dalits and women too – in particular. The onslaught of an aggressive, autocratic majoritarian Hindutva in the face of the Modi 1.0 and 2.0 regimes has seen the “secular” parties also on a defensive backfoot when it comes to fair representation of all sections including Muslims.

The Hindu reports that the regional parties instead were able to ensure some level of representation for Muslim MPs, for example the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), Jammu and Kashmir National Conference, Samajwadi Party etc. In addition, CPI-M was also able to fill the gap by giving Muslim representation in both Kerala and West Bengal.

The report also notes that big states such as Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh have also seen a decline in the number of Muslim MPs. Worse, Gujarat, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh do not have a single Muslim MP.

In the 1980s the share of Muslim MPs was at its peak, at about 8.3 % in the seventh and eighth Lok Sabha. Overall, the number of MPs has declined to 5 percent in the last 3 Lok Sabhas in the UPA 1, NDA 1, and NDA 2, and is noted to be similar to what was recorded in the 1990s, which The Hindu report further notes, was also a period which saw the rise of the BJP. However, in the 2000s, after the decline the share went back to 7 % percent with the UPA 1 government, according to The Hindu.

How does the voting pattern work in Muslim dominated areas? 

According to a detailed analysis in Sabrang India, during the period from 1991 to 2002, the BJP under the influence of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), experienced electoral success in the state of Uttar Pradesh, largely on account of its polarising Ram Mandir politics after the demolition of the Babri Masjid (December 6, 1992). In 1991,with the stigma and hate-driven campaign for the Ram Mandir at its peak, the BJP emerged victorious in 76 out of 122 minority-dominated seats in UP, surpassing both the Congress (which won only seven seats) and the Samajwadi Party (which won one seat). Interestingly, independent candidates secured the second highest number of seats.

In 1993, the BJP once again dominated the minority-dominated seats, winning 69 out of 122, while the Samajwadi Party won 31 seats, the Bahujan Samaj Party secured five, and the Congress managed to win only six. The remaining 16 seats were won by other political parties or independent candidates.

In the 1996 elections, although the BJP’s overall performance declined, it still secured a majority of the minority-dominated seats by winning 59 out of 128. The Samajwadi Party followed with 43 seats, the Bahujan Samaj Party with 13 seats, and the Congress with only seven.

However, in 2002, the Samajwadi Party under the leadership of Mulayam Singh Yadav gained ground in the minority-dominated seats, winning 43 out of 129. The Bahujan Samaj Party secured 24 seats, while the BJP managed to win 32 seats in these areas. The fact that even at its worst, it still managed a hold on close to 15 per cent of the minority-dominated seats is telling.

Sabrang India’s analysis reveals the stark observation that voting patterns attest the Muslim vote may be a decisive factor in winning a candidate, however if the Muslim vote gets divided between candidates, then each time tha thas happened, it has resulted in the victory of BJP as illustrated above.

A slightly divergent and nuanced trend from poor representation of Muslim representatives in the state assemblies and Parliament is the seats given to the minority community at the local levels (that is Panchayats and Zilla Parishads)

This is true of both of the Model Hindu Rashtra states, first Gujarat, then Uttar Pradesh.

Such astute dual messaging by a party and ideology that is also associated with the stigmatisation and demonisation of Muslims works towards containing the political antipathy of minorities as a block and engaging at least a small section, some families even so that some are drawn albeit at the local levels to a party that is otherwise perceived to be and is detrimental to their social, political and economic interests. The messaging is almost to say that representation benefits them locally but not at the policy making and national levels.

The BJP’ Effect

In India, the total number of seats in the Parliament and state and Union Territory assemblies is 4,908. The Lok Sabha consists of 543 seats, the Rajya Sabha has 245 seats, and the remaining 4,120 seats are allocated to the legislative bodies of the states and Union Territories.

Over time, the representation of Muslim Members of Parliament (MPs) in India’s Lok Sabha has fluctuated. Initially, it increased from 4.3 percent in 1952 to 9.3 percent in 1977. However, it subsequently dropped back to levels comparable to the 1950s and 1960s. Following the 2019 elections, Muslims constituted 5 percent of Indian MPs, despite comprising approximately 14 percent of the population. In contrast, the Lok Sabha is predominantly Hindu, with over 90 percent Hindu MPs, while Hindus make up around 80 percent of the Indian population.

The  electoral victory of the BJP, which designates Hindu nationalism as its ideal, has had a dire impact on India’s religious minorities. Although one Muslim MP was elected for the BJP in 2019, the situation for Muslims in India has deteriorated significantly in all areas of life since the party’s rise. BJP’s term has been strewn with lynchings of Muslims, fund cuts for all minorities, shielding or inaction against rape accused members of their party, and heightened state repression for all citizens.

Among states with over 15 percent Muslims, Kerala, Assam, West Bengal, Jammu & Kashmir have largely maintained a consistent number of Muslims MPs over time. Actual numbers? Can we tally these to the party in power at the time? The two exceptions to this criterion is Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh. In Jharkhand only 1 Muslim MP was elected and in UP, where at its peak there were about 18 percent Muslims MPs, now it has dropped down to 1 percent.

In 2022, the Al Jazeera reported that for the very first time in India’s history as an independent nation, there wasn’t a single Muslim MP from the ruling party to represent a population of religious minorities that forms up to about 14 percent of the nation. BJP’s last long standing Muslim MP, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, had recently resigned from his post as Minority Affairs Minister as his term was slated to end.

According to acclaimed social scientists, Christopher Jaffrelot “Between 1980 and 2014, the number of Muslim MPs in the lower house of the Indian parliament – and hence their percentage – diminished by more than half. This evolution is all the more significant as the share of Muslims in the Indian population rose during the same period.”

Image: Statista

BJP and Muslim Women

The BJP has often claimed they have the confidence of Muslim women. Maintaining that the highly contested Triple Talaq Bill was a huge ‘victory’ for Muslim women, the party has often argues after elections that Muslim women votes for them en masse. But even if that were the case, what has the representation of Muslim women been in the parliament?

According to a report by IndiaSpend, Muslim women in India face a double burden of discrimination as both women and Muslims. This cumulative discrimination has a compounding effect, making it even harder for Muslim women to overcome the barriers they face in entering politics. Out of 16 Lok Sabhas since independence, five of them, including the first one, did not have any Muslim women MPs, and the highest number of Muslim women MPs at any given time has never been more than four.

This lack of representation is evident in the current Lok Sabha, where initially only two women MPs were present, with two Muslim women joining through separate by-elections in 2018. An analysis conducted by the Trivedi Centre for Political Data for the 2019 general elections found that out of 1,279 candidates in the first phase only two were Muslim women. In the second phase, out of 1,202 candidates, there were seven Muslim women.

BJP’s empty claims for the Pasmanda

Many BJP leaders, including the current PM Modi have spoken about reaching out to and uplifting backward caste Muslims, that is the Pasmanda, however there is yet to be any action to back the words. They have argued that the Pasmanda have a past Inddic heritage and thus due to being backward they have been sidelined by upper caste Muslims. Hence, BJP has premised to grant them rights. But thus far, it seems, this has been a rhetoric as no concrete steps have been put forth.

Source: CJP

Khalid Anis Ansari, a well known academic and also a faculty member in sociology at Azim Premchand University, Bangaluru, Ansari points out that out of the 7,500 elected representatives from the first to the fourteenth Lok Sabha, only 400 were Muslims. Among them, 340 were from the Ashraf (upper caste) community, while only 60 were from the Pasmanda background. In the 2011 Census, Muslims accounted for about 14.2% of India’s population. This means that Ashrafs, with a population share of 2.1%, were overrepresented in the Lok Sabha with around 4.5% representation. In contrast, Pasmandas constituted approximately 11.4% of the total population but had a mere 0.8% representation in Parliament.

In fact, while BJP claims to support the cause of the Pasmanda Muslims, it appears as clearly lip service when we see the data.

Alternate Models for Ensuring Representation

The Sachar Committee 2006 recognised and noted  the grave lack of Muslims in politics and thus sought to illustrate alternate models successfully adopted by governments to ensure there would one minority voice at the very least. One such case study cited by the Sachar Committee Report observes innovative mechanisms implemented by the Andhra Pradesh government to enhance Muslim and minority participation in decision-making processes, despite their low representation in elected bodies. These mechanisms include provisions for ‘co-opting’ and nominating individuals from minority communities in various institutions.

In Mandal and Zila Parishads, one person from the minority community is co-opted based on prescribed criteria i.e., the individual belongs to a linguistic or religious minority group. A similar provision exists for two persons in Zilla Parishads. These co-opted members can thus contribute to discussions and suggest agenda items, although they do not have the right to vote on collective decisions.

For Municipal Corporations and Municipalities, the Andhra Pradesh Municipal Laws (Amendment) Act enables the co-option of two persons from minority communities. These members can participate in meetings and express their opinions but do not have voting rights. This provision applies to certain Municipal Corporations and Nagar Panchayats.

In Cooperative Banks, a member belonging to a minority community is nominated by the Registrar to participate in committee meetings without voting rights. This provision extends to district cooperative banks and other higher-level cooperative banks as well.

In Agricultural Marketing Committees in fact Andhra Pradesh has implemented an inclusive approach by allowing a total of 14 nominated members from different categories. Five of these nominations are reserved for SCs, STs, BCs, minorities, and women out of the 14 permitted nominations, this ensuring representation of the marginalised as a guarantee.

Overall, these mechanisms provide a minimum level of democratic participation to under-represented segments, including Muslims, although they do not grant significant political power. Co-opted and nominated members are furthermore given the opportunity to contribute to discussions and influence agendas in the respective institutions.

BJP and the Development Myth

The then MPs from BJP, which came into power in 2014, were criticised dearly for their poor performance and lack of accountability. For instance, Sabrang India notes that despite winning the 2014 elections in Uttar Pradesh with promises of development, they failed to utilize a significant government fund of Rs 333.6 crores allocated for improving facilities, education, healthcare, and other essential services in their respective constituencies. This failure was particularly evident in the 33 Lok Sabha seats where both Dalits and Muslims form a significant portion of the population, with Rs 71 crore remaining unspent in Dalit-dominated constituencies and over Rs 64 crore unused in constituencies with a substantial Muslim population.

Despite their underwhelming performance, the BJP has been unapologetic and continues to outspend other political parties in advertising through television, radio, and print media. The Economic Times has reported that the BJP accounted for 59% of the total ad insertions in Goa, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh between November of the previous year and February 4, 2017. During state elections, the BJP reportedly spent more than Rs 150 crore on advertising, while the combined spending of the Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, and Congress was less than half of the BJP’s advertising share. The SP accounted for 13% of the ad share, the BSP for 12%, and the entire political campaign of the Congress saw ads of around 4%. In January of the same year, a total of 27,133 ads were aired on TV channels, 11,722 ad spots were played on the radio, and 2,797 ads were inserted in print media.

This clearly shows the BJP’s use of muscle power and monopoly over advertisements by spending more and more on trying to increase their electoral gains rather than improve the efficiency of their current working parliamentarians. Muscle power, hate-laced campaigns, which combined with the denial of representation to religious minorities spells a recipe that can effectively erode democracy.

 

Related:

UP Civic Polls: Clashes Reported in Amroha, Lucknow; Several Muslim Voters’ Names ‘Missing’

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Haryana: Abusing Gandhi, Nehru, Muslims in one breath, saffron-clad mendicant at VHP-Bajrang Dal meet

“No harm caused by thirty minutes of Namaz, won’t inconvenience anyone”: Madras HC

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]]> UP Civic Polls: Clashes Reported in Amroha, Lucknow; Several Muslim Voters’ Names ‘Missing’ https://sabrangindia.in/civic-polls-clashes-reported-amroha-lucknow-several-muslim-voters-names-missing/ Fri, 05 May 2023 05:00:10 +0000 https://sabrangindia.com/article/auto-draft/ Opposition SP, BSP alleged that despite carrying voter ID cards, Muslim and dalit voters in some districts were asked to show Aadhar cards with the aim to “reduce polling percentage”.

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]]> Lucknow: Tension prevailed at Gajraula in Amroha district on Thursday after ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) members clashed over allegations of booth capturing during the first phase of Uttar Pradesh’s Municipal Corporation elections that began at 7 am on Thursday amid tight security arrangements. At least 10 people from both sides were arrested and dozens injured in clashes, police officials said.

Some BSP members, led by former MLA Harpal Singh, whose wife is a mayor candidate, alleged that BJP members were booth capturing and also claimed that Muslim voters were not being allowed inside certain booths. While BJP supporters alleged that ‘Burqa-clad women’ were indulging in fake voting in Amroha. However, this charge was denied by the district magistrate.

“Over a dozen people were injured in clashes between BJP and BSP supporters in Gajraula and over a dozen from both sides were arrested,” a police officer told NewsClick over the phone.

Similar reports poured in from the Lucknow Municipal Corporation Zone-2 area and Prayagraj, where supporters of the Samajwadi Party (SP) and BJP clashed over issues relating to voting.

Some SP supporters alleged bias, saying that strict action was being taken only against the Opposition inside the polling booths and alleged that Muslim voters, especially burqa-clad women, were not allowed to cast their votes. They also alleged that multiple scrutiny by the district administration had forced women to stay at home.

Abdul Wahid, SP district president in Saharanpur, alleged that central security forces were harassing Muslim voters in the name of ID checks (Aadhar card) with the “aim to reduce the polling percentage”.

In a letter written to party president Akhilesh Yadav, Wahid said, “In  Muslim and dalit majority areas, voters are being intimidated and prevented from going to booths from exercising their rights in the name of checking Aadhaar cards.”

“Paramilitary forces in Muslim majority areas in Saharanpur are sending back Muslim and dalit voters from polling booths. The voters had documents, including voter ID and slip, but the police officers were insisting they bring their Aadhaar card,” Wahid told NewsClick. 

The SP leader alleged that at polling booths — JBM Inter College and JB Jain Inter College, Islamia Inter College, Islamia Girls College – security forces were preventing Muslim voters from exercising their franchise.

Imran Masood, a BSP leader and former MLA from Muzzafarabad seat in Saharanpur district, told NewsClick, “There is no need of conducting elections if Muslims are not allowed to cast their votes. People have been queuing up since 6 in the morning carrying three ID proofs, yet are not being allowed to exercise franchise. Everyone’s nomination should have been rejected and BJP should have been declared unopposed.”

Masood also shared multiple videos (seen by NewsClick but not independently verified) from his official Twitter account showing never-ending queues outside the booths waiting for their turn to cast their vote.

According to the State Election Commission (SEC), polls in 37 districts are underway in the first phase of the polls on Thursday to elect 7,593 representatives, including 10 mayors and 820 corporators.

A total of 44,232 candidates are in the fray in the first phase and more than 2.40 crore people are eligible to vote. Out of this, 1.12 crore voters are women and 1.27 crore are male voters. Polls are being held for 103 posts of nagarpalika parishad chairperson and 2,740 nagarpalika parishad members.

Polling for the second-phase is scheduled to take place on May 11 and the counting will take place on May 13.

The ruling BJP won an unprecedented 14 out of 16 mayoral seats in the urban local bodies elections in 2017. BSP won two seats, Meerut and Aligarh, while SP and Congress could not open their accounts.

The saffron party had won 11 of the 13 mayoral seats in 2012.
MUSLIM NAMES ‘MISSING’ FROM VOTER’s LIST

Despite going through the cumbersome process of filling the mandatory M-Forms and carrying voter IDs, a large number of Muslim voters complained that they had to return dejected from the polling booths as their names were missing from the voters’ lists.

NewsClick spoke to more than a dozen Muslim voters, including professors, journalists and doctors, who found their name missing despite having voted in the last Assembly polls, 2019 Lok Sabha polls and even previous local body polls.

Asad Rizvi, a journalist in Lucknow, said he did not find his name in the electoral list, saying he and his wife had been casting their votes for a long time.

“Grave errors like omission of names from voter lists is a violation of basic fundamental rights. Interestingly, both names were there on the voters’ list during the 2022 Assembly election, 2019 Lok Sabha election and we even exercised our franchise in the previous urban body polls,” Rizvi told NewsClick. 

Danish, another resident of Lucknow’s Khurram Nagar told NewsClick: “We are four members in the family and this has never happened that everyone’s name is missing from the voter list. I, along with my father, went to the local booth but returned after not finding our names in the voter list. Even our neighbours, who have been voting for many years, were disappointed not seeing their names in the list.”

The situation in neighbouring Unnao and Kanpur was not any better; nor in Western Uttar Pradesh where Muslims are sizable in number. These are the areas from where the first voices were heard about Muslim names ‘missing’ from electoral rolls.

Several Muslim voters in Gorakhpur also had to return home without casting their votes.

“Names of entire family members are neither on the voters’ list nor on the deleted list. We had to return from the polling booth after not finding our names,” Rizwan, a voter in the Gorakhnath area, told NewsClick. 

This reporter and his family members also had to return from a polling booth in Gomti Nagar after finding their names missing from the voter list.

Courtesy: Newsclick

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]]> Christians & Muslims excluded from voters list in Karnataka, HC approached https://sabrangindia.in/christians-muslims-excluded-voters-list-karnataka-hc-approached/ Sat, 25 Feb 2023 10:17:59 +0000 http://localhost/sabrangv4/2023/02/25/christians-muslims-excluded-voters-list-karnataka-hc-approached/ Complaints of deliberate exclusion of voters from the minority community from key seats in Karnataka have been surfacing with worrying regularity, now the focus is Bengaluru’s spotlight Shivajinagar constituency

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]]> Christians & Muslims excluded from voters list in Karnataka, HC approached

Several thousands of voters belonging to religious minorities Christians and Muslims have been allegedly removed from electoral rolls in Karnataka, say Catholic leaders. To register their strong protest, a delegation on behalf of Archdiocese of Bangalore on Tuesday, submitted a memorandum to the chief electoral officer (CEO), alleging that of the total number of 9,195 names in Shivajinagar constituency in Bengaluru, about 8,000 missing names include voters from the SC (Scheduled Caste), backward classes and the Muslim communities. Rizwan Arshad of the Indian National Congress (INC) is elected from this constituency. Arshad filed a writ petition in the Karnataka High Court on February 9, 2023 alleging a political conspiracy to identify Christian and Muslim voters and deprive them of their voting rights. 

“It is unfathomable and unbelievable that out of 193 booths, 91 of them have been selectively picked up and the names that were under the voters’ lists those booths are deleted, where a large number of minorities reside in these pockets. The damage caused is improbable to be believed!” read the memorandum. 

“We fear that many constituencies across the city would have been tampered and meddled with impunity. If such mischiefs are allowed to carry on unchecked, the confidence of the people in the electoral process will be destroyed and devastated beyond measure,” it said. 

JA Kanthraj, PRO and Spokesperson, Archdiocese of Bangalore said that Rizwan Arshad, Congress MILA of the Shivajinagar Constituency, has written to them “informing the unethical and corrupt activities that are taking place after the Final Electoral Rolls for 2023 was released by the State Election Commission on the 15th of January, 2023.” Kanthraj said that his name is also missing from the electoral roll in Koramangala. 

Ucanews had first reported this gross democratic rights violation about five days ago. Repeated attempts by UCA News to reach the CEO did not elicit any response but Kanthraj said the top election officer suggested they hold camps across constituencies in Bengaluru so that people can find out if their names were deleted from the electoral rolls.

The archdiocese has undertaken such a campaign across parishes, Kanthraj said. Father Vivian Monis, the parish priest at the city’s St Joseph Church, told Ucanews that they have “been actively campaigning to check if names of Catholics from our parish are missing from the voters’ list.” Opposition Congress party legislator Rizwan Arshad who represents Shivajinagar said he was shocked to see that several thousand names of Christian and Muslim voters were missing from the revised electoral rolls of his constituency.

“This is a blatant attempt by the ruling BJP party to rob minorities of their fundamental right to vote,” he said.

Sabrangindia, Ucanews and TheNewsMinute have been regularly spot-lighting this issue as have national newspapers like Telegraph, Deccan Herald and Hindustan Times.

Muslim voters have been consistently excluded in several constituency and the most recent and stark example was the patent prevention of voters from voting in Uttar Pradesh’s Rampur constituency last December. On December 7, an advocate moved the plea caiming that partsan behaviour of the police [prevented citizens from exercising their franchise. A practicing advocate has moved the Supreme Court Wednesday claiming that during the bye-elections in the Rampur Assembly Constituency in Uttar Pradesh, police authorities used every means to “prevent” voters in Muslim dominated areas from exercising their franchise (Sulaiman Mohd. Khan v Election Commission of India). 

Amid allegations by Samajwadi Party of gross anomalies during polling in the three by-elections held in the state on Monday, Rampur Sadar Assembly seat recorded a sharp decline in voter turnout as compared to the Assembly elections held in March this year. By 5 pm, an hour before the scheduled end of voting, Rampur Sadar recorded only 31.94 per cent polling as compared to the 56.61 per cent polling in March. In Khatauli, 56.46 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 5 pm. The turnout was 69.79 per cent in March. 

Four days before Decembet 7, Sabrangindia had reported how a spate of allegations of voters being prevented and even sustaining injuries. 

 

Related:

Anti-BJP, ‘inconvenient’ voters in Bengaluru could be dis-enfranchised: Karnataka polls

3 crore Muslims and 4 crore Dalits missing from electoral rolls, study by software wiz finds

 

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]]> Muslims prevented to vote in Rampur UP, advocate moves SC https://sabrangindia.in/muslims-prevented-vote-rampur-advocate-moves-sc/ Fri, 09 Dec 2022 11:03:45 +0000 http://localhost/sabrangv4/2022/12/09/muslims-prevented-vote-rampur-advocate-moves-sc/ On December 7, an advocate moved the plea caiming that partsan behaviour of the police [prevented citizens from exercising their franchise

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]]> Muslim

A practicing advocate has moved the Supreme Court Wednesday claiming that during the bye-elections in the Rampur Assembly Constituency in Uttar Pradesh, police authorities used every means to “prevent” voters in Muslim dominated areas from exercising their franchise (Sulaiman Mohd. Khan v Election Commission of India). 

Amid allegations by Samajwadi Party of gross anomalies during polling in the three by-elections held in the state on Monday, Rampur Sadar Assembly seat recorded a sharp decline in voter turnout as compared to the Assembly elections held in March this year. By 5 pm, an hour before the scheduled end of voting, Rampur Sadar recorded only 31.94 per cent polling as compared to the 56.61 per cent polling in March. In Khatauli, 56.46 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 5 pm. The turnout was 69.79 per cent in March. 

Four days back Sabrangindia had reported how a spate of allegations of voters being prevented and even sustaining injuries. 

The elections to Rampur, in a by-election, a populous constituency in Uttar Pradesh that has a significant population of Muslims were mired in controversy as social media users took to Twitter to allege a denial of voting rights through the (ab)use of force by the police. Some media outlets showed visuals of a woman in a video can also be seen showing another woman’s wounded hand allegedly as a result of police brutality. The woman can be heard saying that a wounded elderly woman had gone out to cast their vote, however, to her surprise, the authorities allegedly attacked the elderly woman with lathis and denied her the right to vote. The woman in this video can also be seen showing her voter ID and Aadhar card which are valid documents for one to cast their votes.

This video, which has come to light from Uttar Pradesh’s by-election bound Rampur where the voters can be heard alleging that the police have denied them their right to vote and have also assaulted them in from trying to go to the election booth to vote. 

 

 

Voters in Rampur, Uttar Pradesh alleged that Police in the area has hijacked the polling booths. Voters has also alleged that its party workers were being thrown out of booths and were being prevented from voting.

Related:

Voters say they were denied voting rights, allege police brutality: Rampur (UP) By polls

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]]> 3 crore Muslims and 4 crore Dalits missing from electoral rolls, study by software wiz finds https://sabrangindia.in/3-crore-muslims-and-4-crore-dalits-missing-electoral-rolls-study-software-wiz-finds/ Fri, 15 Mar 2019 08:38:14 +0000 http://localhost/sabrangv4/2019/03/15/3-crore-muslims-and-4-crore-dalits-missing-electoral-rolls-study-software-wiz-finds/ Khalid Saifullah, the founder of the Missing Voter App and CEO of the Hyderabad based RayLabs undertook a study and found that 15 per cent of all voters and 25 per cent Muslims are not present on the electoral list. Therefore approximately 12.7 crores of all voters and three crore Muslims will not be able […]

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]]> Khalid Saifullah, the founder of the Missing Voter App and CEO of the Hyderabad based RayLabs undertook a study and found that 15 per cent of all voters and 25 per cent Muslims are not present on the electoral list. Therefore approximately 12.7 crores of all voters and three crore Muslims will not be able to vote in the May 2019 Lok Sabha elections.


 
According to 38-year-old software wiz Khalid Saifullah, almost 3 crore Muslims out of 11 crore eligible voters in the country are missing from the electoral rolls.  
 
Saifullah, the founder of the Missing Voter App and CEO of the Hyderabad based RayLabs undertook a study to find out how many Muslim and Dalit voters existed or were missing from the voting list. He found that 15 per cent of all voters and 25 per cent Muslims are not present on the electoral list. Therefore approximately 12.7 crores of all voters and three crore Muslims will not be able to vote in the May 2019 Lok Sabha elections. His study also found that 4 crore Dalits out of some 20 crore eligible Dalit voters were missing from the rolls.
 
At the 3rd National Leadership Summit 2019, India Islamic Cultural Centre, New Delhi, he spoke about why the names had gone missing and how his app could bridge the gap.

 
 
He said that he first noticed the discrepancy when lakhs of Muslim names were missing from the voter’s list depriving them of their right to vote in the last parliamentary elections held in 2014. He studied the state of Gujarat where lakhs of Muslims were reportedly unable to vote as their name was not on the electoral list. A huge proportion of Muslim voters were missing in 16 Assembly Constituencies of Gujarat where BJP won with a margin of fewer than 3000 Votes.
 
He acted upon this information and decided to launch the Missing Voter’s app. This free mobile App has the details of all the street names of constituencies, the number of households on each street and the number of voters in each household. The App can be used to identify missing voters, do a household survey and apply for a new voter id online. It is possible to download the Missing Voters App from the Google play store or after giving a missed call on 8099 683 683.
 
He claims that the process to make a new voter id is simpler than that on the ECI website and he noticed that many politicians were misusing the Form 7 to remove voters from the lists. He Data mined of 800 Assembly Constituencies and has identified 1.6 Crore Missing Voter Households, which is about 40 lakh Muslims so far with the help of the app. They now have more than 9000 volunteers registered on the App and 25,000 new Voter Ids applied through App.
 
They have even seen success due to the app. In the state elections in Karnataka, data showed that 18 lakh Muslim names were missing. Some 12,000 volunteers registered to enrol more voters. Up to 12 Lakh new voters were enrolled in a fresh drive over three weeks.
 
Registering so many voters would have a definite impact on the final result. He added that there were three reasons for the present scenario including the political conspiracy related to form 7, the vulnerability and helplessness of Muslims and Dalits and the ignorance on the part of literate people.
 
He also designed Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP’s) HateHatao App, to fight hate and can be used by anyone with an Android smartphone.
 
As the Uttarakhand gears up to go to Lok Sabha polls in a single phase on April 11, a survey conducted by Chetna Andolan, spanned across Dharampur, Raipur and Mussoorie in January has revealed that about 12-13 per cent of the total electorate could have been disenfranchised. It also revealed that about 90 per cent names missing from the voter list are of the Dalit and Muslim voters.
 
Muslim voters missing across the country
“If you are a Muslim in Uttar Pradesh with four voters in your family, chances are that only three will get to exercise their right to a franchise granted by Article 326 of the Constitution. The fourth person’s name would either be missing or excluded from the electoral rolls,” The Hindu Frontline reported.
 
“In Tamil Nadu, too, every fourth Muslim person’s name is found missing from electoral rolls. The situation in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh and Telangana is not any better; nor in Gujarat and Karnataka, from where the first voices were heard about Muslim names missing from electoral rolls. Incidentally, the number of Muslim voters has declined over the years, giving rise to fears about discrimination, political exclusion, total elimination and so on. In Karnataka, the names of 6.6 million people were reportedly missing from the electoral list; later, about 1.2 million were re-enlisted. The names of members of other communities also go missing, but the figures are significantly higher for Muslims—15 per cent for other communities and 25 per cent for Muslims,” the report said.
 
Abusaleh Shariff of the U.S.-India Policy Institute, Washington, who is also the founder of the Centre for Research and Debates in Development Policy (CRDDP), New Delhi, in the report said, “There is a huge exclusion of Indians at large from the electoral rolls, but the exclusion of Muslims is higher. It threatens to make a mockery of our democracy. It is estimated that there is an exclusion of 150 to 180 million Indians from the electoral process. It is like excluding a whole country or even a hundred small nations. That in itself is a disgrace to India. For Muslims, I would say, in up to 50 per cent of the households in a State, there is at least one person who does not have a vote though he/she is otherwise eligible. Though we started with Karnataka, the pilot work is on in Gujarat, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The trend is similar in all States. It is a cause for concern.” The percentage of people left out of the electoral process, ranging between 15 and 25 per cent, becomes extremely significant when one sees that in any Assembly election, a third of the seats are decided by margins of less than 2,000 votes.”
 
Why is it that more Muslim names are left out than those from other communities? “There can be many reasons. One is not getting into the politics of it, but the exclusion could be because the people at the block level may not be doing their job well. There are cultural and linguistic differences. For instance, not many block level officers can spell a name like Zebunissa. There can be many spellings for names. Also, many Muslims give their ages in Urdu rather than English. Thus, discrepancies creep in age data at the time of enrolment itself,” says Shariff. He does agree that there is a strong possibility of a systemic bias against Muslims which, at times, even leads to the exclusion of the entire community or a locality from a constituency.”
 
21 million women voters missing
Voters from across the country have gone missing from electoral rolls and the number is higher for women. A staggering 21 million women are missing from electoral rolls across the country.
 
Three states – Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan – accounted for more than half of the missing female voters. Southern states such as Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu fare better, BBC reported.
 
According to the BBC report, analysts say that the missing women voters translate into 38,000 missing women voters on average in every constituency in India. In places like Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous and a key bellwether state, the figure swells to 80,000 missing women in every seat.
 
“Given that more than one in every five seats are won or lost by a margin of fewer than 38,000 votes, the missing women could swing the results in many seats. The absence of a large number of women also means that India’s electorate would be higher than the 900 million people who are eligible to vote in the summer elections. If the sex ratio in a constituency is skewed against women and the average voter is male, the preferences of female voters are likely to be ignored,” the report said.
 

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