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In a boost to BJP’s Muslims outreach programme before 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath will on Monday kick start the campaign for the urban local body (ULB) elections from Saharanpur. The party is set to bring together its 14 Muslim candidates during the meeting.
The chief minister will address three rallies in Saharanpur, Shamli and Amroha — all of which falls in the west UP district that is home to Darul Uloom Deoband, the biggest Islamic seminary in the country.
The development can be seen as saffron outfit’s prominent display of minority outreach as the Bharatiya Janata Party has significantly increased the tickets to Muslims in the ULB polls.
Who are Pasmanda Muslims?
Pasmanda Muslims are considered a part of the Other Backward Class (OBC) in India, comprising economically and socially backward members of the community. Like the Varna system in Hindus (that divides society into Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishya and Shudras), Muslims in India are broadly categorised into three social groupings.
The three categories in Muslims are:
• Ashraf (the ‘noble’ or ‘honourable ones’)
• Ajlaf (backward Muslims)
• Arzal (Dalit Muslims)
Ashraf: They are the traditionally dominant social group that scholars believe trace their lineage to Muslim conquerors or were upper caste Hindus that converted to Islam very early on. This group includes the Syeds, Mughals, Pathans or upper caste converts like Rangad (Muslim Rajput) or Taga (Tyagi Muslims).
Ajlaf and Arzal: The two group are collectively known as the Pasmanda, which is a Persian word that means “left behind”. The term is used for OBC Muslims. Many experts believe that these groups were given a lower designation in the community as they were part of the local population that converted to Islam later on. Various reports state that many of these families took on the names of their professions such as ‘Ansaris (weavers)’ or ‘Qureshis (butchers)’.
There is, however, no general consensus among scholars on the origins of this social stratification as Islam, otherwise, does not recognise any castes. It is said that divisions were adopted among the local Muslim societies in some South Asian countries as a result of the proximity of Hindu culture.
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BJP Plan for ULB Polls
Muslims dominate 17 out of 70 wards under the Saharanpur municipal corporation. Of these 17, BJP has fielded candidates from the minority community in 14 wards, which inarguably is a four-fold increase. According to a report in Times of India, the number is also proportionate to an average Muslim population in the state, which is 20 per cent.
The party has also fielded Muslim faces in minority dominated districts like Shamil, Amroha, Rampur and Bareilly. It has also given tickets to Muslims on ward-level in Varanasi.
Political experts feel that the BJP’s push to Muslims outreach plan is an interesting experiment in these urban local bodies with a 4.85-crore population. Uttar Pradesh now has 762 urban local bodies, 109 more than in 2017, including 17 mayoral seats, 200 nagar palika parishads and 545 nagar panchayats. The party has been holding ‘Pasmanda Muslim’ meets – both big and small – in several of them.
A TOI report quoted BJP’s Saharanpur (Mahanagar) district president Rakesh Jain as saying that all 14 Muslim candidates have been asked to remain present at CM Yogi’s rally.
He said that in the remaining three Muslim-dominated wards, the party has fielded Hindu candidates after considering all political equations. “We are expecting a good gathering in CM Yogi’s rally,” Jain was quoted, adding that the party was well poised to take on its political opponent, especially the Samajwadi Party.
Saharanpur Candidates of SP, BSP, Congress
Both SP and BSP have also fielded Muslim candidates for the Saharanpur mayoral seat. The Samajwadi Party has fielded Noor Hasan Malik, while Khadija Masood will fight on BSP ticket. Khadija is a relative of former Congress strongman Imran Masood who joined BSP earlier this year. Congress has fielded Pradeep Verma, a senior lawyer.
Plan for CM Yogi’s West UP Trip
The chief minister will address a rally at Maharaj Singh Degree College which lies in Saharanpur nagar assembly seat, the heart of the city. CM Yogi is expected to set the tone for BJP’s campaign in the civic elections which are being touted as the semi-finals to the Lok Sabha elections due next year.
The CM’s chopper will land at the helipad in Rashtriya Kisan Post Graduate College at 1:15 pm, following which he will go to VV Post Graduate College in Shamli and attend a public meeting. He will then fly off to Amroha around 3:10 pm.
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