KOCHI: The local body elections this time are a three-cornered cliff-hanger and the results will have a bearing on the assembly poll, which is just six months away.Realising the need to widen its vote bank beyond the traditional Hindu forward communities, the BJP has adopted an ambitious plan to woo the minorities.Party officials said the BJP has fielded 400 candidates from the minority communities, of whom 117 are Muslims. Nine of the Muslim candidates are women.
In a move that surprised the BJP’s political opponents, a few Muslim women in Malappuram district too came forward to contest under the saffron party’s banner.Further, the party has allotted two divisions in all district panchayats except Thiruvananthapuram to minorities and a proportional representation has been ensured in the block and grama panchayats.
“Around 400 minority candidates are contesting on behalf of the party of whom nine are Muslim women,” said Minority Morcha state president Jiji Joseph. According to the state BJP leadership, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s development plank and the progressive steps like Triple Talaq law and move to raise the marriage age have inspired a positive change among the Muslim women in Kerala.
While the party does not expect a big shift in Muslim attitude, the BJP leaders are hopeful of a change in the Christian community’s approach. A Facebook post by activist O Abdulla on the changing attitude of the Christian community reflects the situation. “The Christian community in Kerala is leaning towards the Sangh Parivar. There is no other way for the secular but to strengthen the Left,” he said in the post.
“You can expect a visible change in the voting pattern in Central Kerala this time,” said BJP Kottayam district president Noble Mathew, who is also a former national executive member of the Catholic Council of India. “The Centre’s decision to provide 10 per cent quota for the economically weaker sections of forward communities changed the mindset of Christians. They fear that the Muslim League will scuttle the reservation if the UDF comes to power in Kerala. Besides, the stand taken by IUML in the Hagia Sophia incident also made the community rethink,” he told TNIE.
SDPI fields Hindu women
The SDPI, the political wing of the Popular Front of India, sprang a surprise by fielding Hindu women in around a dozen seats.