NEW DELHI: While India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) grabbed the state of Bihar by the collar and won the elections, the party lost the Muslim-majority constituencies after not fielding a single Muslim candidate in all 243 seats.
On the other hand, Muslim voters of Bihar seem to have taken the BJP defeat in these constituencies as their victory and thus 11 Muslim candidates of the opposition parties have been elected.
During electioneering, reporters asked Amit Shah, BJP President and Home Minister, to comment on the alleged refusal of the party to give tickets to Muslim aspirants. Shah remarked that the BJP only chooses candidates “who have any chance of winning,” which drew heavy criticism from the Muslims of Bihar, who constitute nearly 18% of the population.
Opposition parties went on to field more Muslim candidates:
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD): 18 Muslim candidates
Congress: 10
Janata Dal (United): 4
Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas): 1
Among the victorious, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) grasped five seats, RJD was successful in three, Congress in two, and JD(U) one Muslim seat.
As for the 243-member assembly, the overall results are:
BJP gained 89 seats
Janata Dal (United) took 85
Congress had only 6 seats
Although BJP has been able to keep its stronghold in the state, observers draw attention to the fact that the party’s decision of completely cutting off Muslim candidates and losing areas with a Muslim majority shows the hardening of political divisions in Bihar.
