The Waqf Amendment Bill, passed in April, has led to problems for BJP allies such as Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) and Chirag Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), whose Muslim candidates are facing uncomfortable questions over the law as well as their alliance with the BJP during the ongoing election campaign.
The JD(U), which claims to enjoy the support of 20% of the Muslim population in Bihar, has fielded candidates from the community in Araria, Jokihat, Amour, and Chainpur as against 11 in 2020.
“People are asking uncomfortable questions over my party’s support for the Waqf Bill in Parliament. I tell them that the amendments have made the management of Waqf properties more transparent. I also tell them that the NDA government at the Centre is in majority and the Bill would have passed even without the JD(U)’s support,” said Shagufta Azim, the JD(U)’s candidate from Araria.
On the JD(U)’s alliance with the BJP, Azim said she tells voters that Bihar’s development is only because the state government is running with “those people and the party”. “I also tell people that religious sentiments are not being hurt and the benefits of various schemes are being extended to all communities without any discrimination. I also compare the development work that took place in the JD(U) and RJD tenure to make a point that a party is never wrong but its ideology can differ (with its allies),” she said.
In 2020, Azim lost from the same seat to Congress’s Abidur Rahman, who has been renominated this time. The Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM and Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj too have fielded Muslim candidates from Araria.
In Amour, which is currently held by AIMIM’s Bihar president Akhtarul Iman, the JD(U) candidate Saba Zafar has focused his campaign on development and local issues. “There is no problem with regard to the Waqf law as the JD(U) was not the only party that supported it in Parliament,” he said.
In Chainpur, outgoing state Minority Affairs Minister Md Zama Khan holds campaign rallies wearing a saffron turban and scarf. On Wednesday, BJP MP Manoj Tiwari addressed a rally in his support, where he stressed the NDA’s “sabka saath, sabka vikas” motto. “Khan has decided which ideology to support. His victory from Chainpur will send a message that Hindus and Muslims both are with the BJP,” Tiwari said.
“Khan had won the 2020 polls as a BSP candidate. Now, he needs the support of BJP’s Hindu voters and this is the reason NDA leaders speak of Hindu-Muslim unity in this seat. Khan too is running his campaign on these lines,” a JD(U) leader said.
On the other hand, the LJP(RV)’s lone Muslim candidate, Mohd Kalimuddin, too faces similar questions while campaigning in Bahadurganj. “I tell people to ask these questions to those holding positions in waqf boards and also ask them what benefit was provided to people through waqf properties. The Opposition and waqf boards are misleading people,” he said.
Referring to “speeches of BJP leaders”, Kalimuddin also urged voters not to pay heed to what is being said. “I tell Muslims that leaders speak anything in rallies. You should look at the ground situation, where benefits are reaching people of all communities,” he told The Indian Express.
The LJP (RV) is going all out to convince Muslim voters, with Chirag addressing a rally in support of Kalimuddin, where he accused the Mahagathbandhan of dividing society on religious lines by “treating Muslims only as a vote bank and instilling fear of the NDA among them”. “I will not let injustice happen to even a single person. It is my promise,” he said.
Referring to the 2006 Sachar Committee report on the social and economic backwardness of Muslims, he pinned the blame for their condition on the Congress and RJD. Bahadurganj was won by the AIMIM in 2020, but its MLA switched over to the RJD in 2022. The Owaisi-led party has fielded a candidate here again.
All five seats go to the polls in the second phase on November 11.
The other NDA constituents, BJP, Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), and Upendra Kushwaha-led Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM), have not fielded Muslim candidates.