Muslim Candidate For UP Assembly Seat: What’s BJP’s New Strategy Behind It?

BJP is contemplating fielding a Muslim candidate for the upcoming bypoll in Moradabad’s Kundarki assembly seat. This move marks a historic first for the saffron party in Uttar Pradesh, aiming to reestablish its influence in the region.

A senior BJP functionary revealed that discussions are underway with a prominent Muslim leader to contest the seat, left vacant by SP’s Zia Ur Rehman, who won the Sambhal Lok Sabha constituency. The decision underscores BJP’s strategic pivot towards inclusive representation ahead of byelections to 10 seats in the state.

The BJP’s previous electoral ventures with Muslim candidates include Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi’s 2019 Lok Sabha ticket and Abdul Salam’s candidacy in Kerala’s Malappuram, albeit without success. Naqvi had previously won the Rampur seat in 1998 before losing to Congress’s Begum Noor Bano in 1999, while Syed Shahnawaz Hussain secured Bihar’s Kishanganj seat the same year.

“The state leadership will thoroughly assess all considerations before finalizing the candidate and seeking approval from the central leadership,” the functionary added, highlighting BJP’s nuanced approach in Kundarki.