Jalna: Ahead of the January 15 civic elections in Maharashtra's Jalna city, the Mahayuti allies of the BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP are reaching out to Muslim voters by fielding candidates from the community, PTI reported.
In a departure from its past practice, the BJP has fielded four Muslim candidates in the city. Political observers attribute this shift partly to the influence of former Congress MLA Kailash Gorantyal, who recently joined the BJP and has been making efforts to woo Muslim voters.
Although the Mahayuti partners were initially expected to contest the elections together, the alliance collapsed at the last moment due to disagreements over seat-sharing. The Jalna Municipal Corporation has 65 electoral wards.
Muslim voters account for nearly 20 to 25 per cent of the electorate in Jalna and hold decisive influence in wards 2, 4, 10, and 11.
Among other Mahayuti partners, Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena has fielded seven Muslim candidates, while NCP, headed by Ajit Pawar, has nominated 17 candidates from the community.
From the other side, the opposition Mahavikas Aghadi (MVA), comprising the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP (SP), is contesting the elections as an alliance.
The Congress has fielded 51 candidates, including 19 Muslims. Sena (UBT), despite contesting 13 seats, has not given any tickets to leaders from the community. The NCP (SP) has nominated two Muslim candidates.
Meanwhile, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has decided to contest 17 seats in Muslim-dominated areas of Jalna. Its district president, Shaikh Majeed, said people are looking for an alternative, and AIMIM represents their aspirations.
Elections to 29 municipal corporations in the state, including the Jalna civic body, will be held on January 15, and votes will be counted the next day.