The last muslim to have been member of Lok sabha representing the Muslim community was Iqbal Ahmed Saradgi in 2009.
Before him it was CK Jafar Shareef, who was defeated in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections. Many have pointed fingers at CM Ibrahim for his role in this outcome. But what’s captured our focus is the prolonged absence of Muslim representation in the Lok Sabha for nearly 15 years, sparking grave concerns within the Muslim community.
We stand witness to a community yearning for political representation, and this struggle has urged various social organizations across Karnataka into action.
Social rights activists, have come together with an objective to pressurize the Congress Party to allocate a more number of parliamentary tickets to Muslim candidates.
In the recent assembly elections should not Muslims played an important role in securing a majority for the Congress Party and this was publicly acknowledged by senior leaders of congress. The Muslim vote share exceeds to that of other major communities combined, including the Kuruba, Vokkaliga, and Lingayat communities.
In a move to intensify their demands, rights activists from different corners of Karnataka held a meeting in the state capital. Participants from Gulbarga, Raichur, Bidar, Dharwad, Haveri, Mangalore, Koppal, Hubli, and Bagalkot came together for this strategic meeting.
The meeting included data presentations, shedding light on voting statistics and representation across diverse communities. The discussions revolved around devising effective strategies to ensure adequate representation for the Muslim community in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Their demand is for 3 seats for Muslims from Bangalore Central, Bidar and Hubli Dharwad constituencies.
The Activists have raised important questions about whether the Congress party is providing adequate representation to the Muslim community. They argue that there is currently no Muslim leader who can effectively communicate the community’s grievances to the party leadership. To address this concern, they are demanding the allocation of 3 tickets to Muslim candidates by the Congress. Failure to do so, they warn, may lead to disappointment within the community and a decrease in votes for the Congress.
Furthermore, activists have expressed their concerns regarding the exclusion of Muslim names from MLC nominations.
They firmly believe that the demand for 3 seats is a rightful one, emphasizing that it’s not just about securing votes but also about ensuring social justice. They want to see Muslims uplifted, particularly in areas with a significant Muslim population.
The activists stress that they do not wish to see the Congress party disappear from the political arena due to neglecting minority community. They urge the party to include them and move forward with the community’s support; otherwise, they say the party will face severe consequences in the future.
It is to be seen if the efforts of these social organizations and rights activists lead to a comeback of Muslim representation in the Lok Sabha?
