Minority votes a major attraction for secular’ parties in Gujarat elections

Ahmedabad: There is a scramble for minority votes in poll-bound Gujarat as the Muslim population of the state has more options for secular parties to vote for in the high-stakes 2022 Assembly elections.
In earlier elections, the Congress was considered the only major contender for Muslim votes in Gujarat, but this time the main opposition party is facing stiff competition from smaller outfits to get minority electors on its side.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), ruling the state for more than two decades now, is not seen as a viable option for Muslim voters which have a sizeable presence in over two dozen seats in the 182-member state Assembly.
Also Read Guj: Rs 500 bribe found in answer sheet of class 12 student, debarred for a year The Congress is facing competition from Hyderabad-headquartered All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and some other parties for support in polls from this section of the society.
State Congress president Jagdish Thakor, in a bid to ensure the Muslim votes stay with the party, repeated a 2006 controversial statement of then-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who had said minorities must have the first claim on resources of the country.
Thakor remark in July triggered a backlash from right-wing outfits who accused him of indulging in appeasement politics for votes.