BJP Gains As Split In Gujarat Muslim Votes Harm Congress

In the BJP's record victory in Gujarat Assembly polls today, Muslim-dominated constituencies played a major role even though the party did not project a single Muslim.

In many Muslim-dominated seats in Gujarat, the ruling party got a lead at the cost of the Congress.

The BJP led in 12 of 17 seats with a high Muslim population - an increase of six seats -- compared to Congress that got just 5.

Historically, most of these seats have always voted Congress.

For instance, Dariapur, a Muslim-dominated seat that the Congress held for 10 years. However, this time the Congress MLA Gyasuddin Shaikh lost to the BJP Candidate, Kausik Jain.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has also failed to make a mark in any of the 16 Muslim-dominated seats it contested in. However, the 10-year-old party, along with Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM, had an important role in splitting the votes that traditionally went to the Congress.

AIMIM has 13 candidates, including two non-Muslims, that ate into Congress votes in Muslim-dominated seats like Jamalpur-Khadia and Vadgam.

Congress's Imran Khedawala was losing in Jamalpur-Khadia. In Vadgam, Jignesh Mevani was trailing by a small margin.

The Muslim voters who supported Congress in Gujarat, had fiercely protested the early release of the 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano case.

The convicts were freed on August 15, Independence Day, by the Gujarat government under an outdated policy. The move sparked massive nationwide outrage, which was amplified by images of the rapists being garlanded and welcomed like heroes by a Hindu organisation.

Chandrasinh Raulji, the BJP leader who was involved in the decision to release the rapists and had described them as "Sanskari Brahmins", is winning in Godhra. He is a six-time MLA from the constituency.