In a state where minorities constitute around 30 per cent of the electorate, their influence extends to 16-18 Lok Sabha seats, making them a coveted voting bloc for all parties.Several parliamentary seats in both north and south Bengal, such as Raiganj, Coochbehar, Balurghat, Malda North, Malda South, Murshidabad, Diamond Harbour, Uluberia, Howrah, Birbhum, Kanthi, Tamluk, and Joynagar, have significant Muslim populations.Mohammed Kamruzzaman, general secretary of All Bengal Minority Youth Federation, whose organisation has the biggest following among Muslim youths in the state, said, “In Bengal, TMC is the most credible force when it comes to fighting against BJP.” Sabir Ahamed, a researcher with Nobel laureate Amartya Sen’s Pratichi Trust, believes that the TMC’s public welfare schemes have fostered strong support from minorities.”The welfare schemes of the TMC government have played a key role in minority voters’ preferences,” he noted.The CPI(M) and Congress highlighted livelihood issues, scams, anti-incumbency, and a rise in religious-ethnic sentiments as factors eroding TMC’s hold over the minority vote- with the defeat in Sagardighi bypoll in 2023 being an indicator.”The minority votes are returning to the Left and Congress and that has left the TMC and the BJP panicked,” CPI(M) state secretary Md Salim said.The defeat in the minority-dominated seat in the bypoll had sent shockwaves in the TMC camp, with the ruling party taking up measures to reach out to the community.The entry of the Indian Secular Front (ISF) led by Abbas Siddiqui into Bengal’s political arena was a response to the absence of a strong proponent for Muslims in the state’s political landscape.Although now led by its lone MLA Naushad Siddique, the ISF, despite garnering only 1.35 per cent of popular vote in 2021 West Bengal assembly election, is still seen as a threat to mainstream parties for a share of the state’s 30 per cent Muslim vote.”It’s not about dole politics. Minorities in Bengal are fed up with TMC’s corruption and misrule,” remarked the ISF MLA Siddiqui.The ISF, which has decided to go solo, had announced candidates for six Lok Sabha seats — Jadavpur, Balurghat, Uluberia, Barrackpore, Diamond Harbour, and Basirhat.Historically, minorities initially supported the Congress against Hindu Mahasabha and Jan Sangh.However, from the late sixties, they shifted towards the Left, especially under leaders like Jyoti Basu.
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