Kolkata: Constituting nearly 30 per cent of the electorate, minorities in Bengal are likely to vote for the Trinamool Congress (TMC) to halt BJP’s advance, despite the presence of a secular alternative in the form of Left-Congress alliance, community leaders said.
According to minority leaders, Muslims in Bengal, pivotal in several Lok Sabha seats, are inclined towards the Mamata Banerjee-led party, which they see as a credible force, unlike the Left-Congress alliance.
This inclination is particularly evident in districts such as Murshidabad, Malda and North Dinajpur, where minorities form the majority.
With the Indian Secular Front (ISF) opting to go solo, efforts to woo minorities might become more challenging for the Left Congress, especially with the saffron party capitalising on various polarising issues such as the Ram Mandir and Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
Bengal boasts the second-highest number of Muslim electorate in the country after Kashmir and Assam.
Imams are likely to appeal to members of the community to ensure there’s no split in minority votes, which in 2019 contributed to the BJP’s success in minority-dominated areas.
“It must be ensured there’s no split in minority votes. The TMC is the best choice in most of the seats, whereas the Left and Congress are best suited in some seats of North Bengal,” said Qazi Fazlur Rehman, the Imam-eh-din, who leads prayers at the Red Road in Kolkata every year.
The president of the West Bengal Imam Association, Mohammed Yahya, said in districts such as Murshidabad, Malda and North Dinajpur, minorities might face a tough choice between the Left-Congress and TMC candidates.
“In these districts, the division of minority votes resulted in BJP victories in Uttar Dinajpur in 2019 and in one seat in Malda. However, this time around, minorities are expected to rally behind the TMC, similar to their support in the 2021 assembly polls,” he added.
Imams are expected to convey this message to minorities from 40,000 mosques across the state. The BJP had won Malda North and Raiganj seats in North Bengal in 2019, where the minorities constitute approximately 45 per cent of the electorate, due to the split of this voting bloc.
In a state where minorities constitute around 30 per cent of the electorate, their influence extends to 16-18 Lok Sabha seats, making them a coveted voting bloc for all parties. Several Parliamentary seats in both North and South Bengal, such as Raiganj,
Cooch Behar, Balurghat, Malda North, Malda South, Murshidabad, Diamond Harbour, Uluberia, Howrah, Birbhum, Kanthi, Tamluk and Joynagar, have significant Muslim
populations.