AHMEDABAD: The influence of the Muslim vote bank has significantly diminished in Gujarat. Neither the BJP nor the Congress has nominated a Muslim candidate for any seat in the state for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Despite Gujarat's 9.7% Muslim population, no Muslim candidate has been successful in securing a Lok Sabha seat in the last three decades.
There is no official source of information on the Muslim population in each Gujarat district, but if surveys undertaken by various Muslim organizations are to be trusted, Bharuch ranks first at 23.15 percent followed by Kutch (22%), Jamnagar (16.55%), Dwarka (15%), and Ahmedabad (13.38%). The districts with the lowest Muslim population are Dang (2.57 percent), Tapi (3.76 percent) and Chhota Udepur (4.19 percent).
In the history of Lok Sabha and assembly elections in Gujarat, Muslim representation has been scarce. In the 1996 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress nominated Irshad Mirza as the sole Muslim candidate for the Ahmedabad Lok Sabha seat, but the BJP’s Harin Pathak defeated him. Subsequently, in the 1998, 1999, and 2004 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress did not nominate any Muslim candidates.
In the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress fielded Aziz Tankarvi from Bharuch, who lost to the BJP's Mansukh Vasava. Similarly, in 2014, the Congress nominated Maqsood Mirza for the Navsari seat, but he was defeated by the BJP's C. R. Patil. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress fielded Sher Khan Pathan for the Bharuch seat, but he also lost to the BJP's Mansukh Vasava.
For the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, Mumtaz Patel, the daughter of late Congress leader Ahmed Patel, has expressed her intention to contest from the Bharuch seat. Although the Congress has allocated the seat to the Aam Aadmi Party as part of their alliance, the Aam Aadmi Party has chosen Chaitar Vasava as their candidate.
Mujahid Nafees, Convener, Minority Coordination Committee, Gujarat, alleged that Muslims are "not only socially but also politically marginalized in Gujarat". "This is an extension of the ideology of RSS to be a Muslim-less discourse in the political system. Congress is also on the path of RSS ideology in Gujarat. Without inclusion how will democracy strengthen? “ he said.
He said Muslim voters dominate nine of Gujarat's 182 assembly seats -- Daryapur, Jamalpur-Khadia, Vejalpur, Bhuj, Abdasa, Wagra, Limbayat, Surat-East, and Wankaner. The Congress fielded six Muslim candidates in the 2022 Gujarat assembly elections, of whom only one won -- Imran Khedawala (Jamalpur-Khadia). In 2017, three of the five minority candidates fielded by the main opposition party won. Meanwhile, no Muslim contender received a ticket from the BJP.
