Bharuch was one seat from where Cong would field a Muslim candidate. This time ally AAP is contesting from there. The only Muslim MLA in the state Assembly, Cong’s Imran Khedewala, says it is a wise move
By Ritu Sharma
THE BSP is the only national party that has fielded a Muslim candidate for the Lok Sabha polls in Gujarat, with even the Congress refraining from nominating one.
In all, there are 32 Muslim candidates of the total 266 candidates in the fray in the state that will vote on May 7.
A majority of the Muslim candidates are contesting independently, while a few are from smaller parties like Bhartiya Jan Nayak Party that has a candidate from Kheda, Log Party (Navsari), Right to Recall Party (Kheda) and the Social Democratic Party of India (Patan and Navsari).
At seven, the highest number of Muslim candidates are contesting in Gandhinagar, from where Union Home Minister Amit Shah is the BJP candidate and Sonal Patel the Congress’s. This is followed by Bharuch and Patan, with four Muslim candidates each.
Muslims are estimated to be around 10% of Gujarat’s population. They are in sizeable numbers in at least 15 seats, which include Kutch, Jamnagar, Junagadh, Bharuch, Bhavnagar, Surendranagar, Patan, Banaskantha, Sabarkantha, Ahmedabad West, Ahmedabad East, Gandhinagar, Navsari, Panchmahals, and Anand.
This story was originally published in indianexpress.com. Read the full story here.