Minority report: Bid to raise turnout over 2014

MUMBAI: Several political leaders, activists and NGOs have launched a campaign to ensure 100% voting in pockets populated by Muslims. The 2014

Lok Sabha

elections’ voting percentage in these minority areas was very low (33%) and hence, community leaders have begun a drive to persuade residents here to go and exercise their franchise at polling booths on April 29. Also, with issues like mob lynching, triple talaq bill and promise of Uniform Civil Code(UCC) featuring in the BJP’s agenda, Muslims are being told to defeat “communal” forces.


At a meeting by NGO Public Complaint Centre in south Mumbai on Thursday, speakers called upon the community to vote to unseat the BJP. Abdul Razzak Maniar, who heads the Public Complaint Centre, said several jamaats and NGOs had decided to persuade the community to treat voting as a “farz” (obligation) because their survival as Muslims is at stake. “Our rights and religious freedom guaranteed by the Constitution are at stake. Those who threaten the Constitutional rights must be voted out and for that, we need to vote in large numbers and help the secular candidates win,” said Maniar, resolving to hold several such awareness campaigns in Muslim pockets.

Activist and political leaders are telling voters that voting is an important Constitutional right and citizens must utilise it to elect right candidates. “We are telling people to postpone their visits outside the city and exercise their right without fail,” said Congress MLA Amin Patel, who has attended a series of meetings held to encourage people to vote.

Though the majority of Muslim votes are expected to stay with Congress-NCP, a chunk may go to “spoilers” in the fray. Antiterrorism crusader and Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi candidate Dr A R Anjaria from Mumbai North Central said that the fact that Congress-NCP didn’t heed the community’s demand to field at least one Muslim from the city had disappointed the community. “Congress only wants Muslims’ votes but is not ready to give representation to the community. We will show that we are not anybody’s ghulam (slave),” said Anjaria.

Several NGOs also held a meeting at Marathi Patrakar Sangh on Friday evening. “We have appealed to the masses to understand that this is an important election and we must support the strongest secular candidates in the city’s six seats,” said activist Firoz Mithiborewala.