(Eds: Correcting figure in para 3; adds word in para 4)Ahmedabad, Dec 19 (PTI) Three Muslim candidates, allfielded by the Congress, emerged victorious in the GujaratAssembly elections this time, against two in the previousHouse.
The ruling BJP did not put up any Muslim candidate in thestate where the minority community accounts for 9.67 per centof the population.
The Congress this time put up six rpt six Muslimcandidates, three of them in urban seats.
The party nominees romped home in Jamalpur-Khadia,Dariapur in Ahmedabad and Wankaner in Rajkot. Whereas theparty candidates in Surat-West, Vagra in Bharuch and Bhuj rptBhuj lost to their BJP rivals.
Javid Peerzada (Wankaner), Gyasuddin Sheikh (Dariapur)and Imran Khedawala (Jamalpur-Khadia) are the candidates whomade it to the Assembly on Congress' ticket.
The Congress nominee wrested the Jamalpur-Khadia seatfrom the BJP.
The Aam Aadmi Party, which entered the Gujarat polls forthe first time, fielded Muslim candidate Usman Gani Sherasiyafrom Wankaner seat. He finished way behind other nominees bysecuring just 2,808 votes.
The Janata Dal (United), which contested independentlythis time, unlike in 2012 when it was in alliance with theCongress, put up a Muslim candidate in Dariapur, but he gotonly 82 votes, as per figures of the Election Commission.
The Muslim candidates fielded by the BSP and the NCP inJamalpur-Khadia also failed to make a mark.
In the 2012 Assembly elections also, the Congress hadoffered tickets to six Muslims, out of whom two had won.
PTI KA PD NM GK RTSRY.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.