Bihar polls: Just 35 Muslim candidates fielded, highlighting underrepresentation
Patna: A political controversy has surfaced in Bihar ahead of the assembly elections, with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and other parties facing allegations of marginalising Muslim candidates in the allocation of party tickets.
Only 35 Muslim candidates have been fielded across parties, even though Muslims constitute nearly 17.7% of the state’s population. The RJD and Congress, two key allies of the INDIA bloc who project themselves as advocates of Muslim representation, have together fielded 28 candidates from the community, as reported by The New Indian Express on Sunday.
The RJD, contesting 143 seats, has given tickets to 18 Muslim candidates, while the Congress, contesting 61 seats, has fielded 10. The CPI(ML)-Liberation has nominated two, while the Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) led by Mukesh Sahani, another INDIA bloc partner, has fielded none.
In the NDA camp, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) has nominated four Muslim candidates out of the 101 seats it is contesting. The Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) led by Union Minister Chirag Paswan has fielded one Muslim candidate among its 29 nominees, while the BJP has not given any ticket to Muslims.
Muslim representation in the Bihar Assembly has fluctuated over time. Between 1990 and 2020, it averaged around 8%. The 2020 Assembly had 19 Muslim MLAs (7.81%) in the 243-member House, while the 2015 House had 24 Muslim MLAs (9.87%), one of the community’s highest levels of representation, added the report.
Political analysts quoted in the report note that the decline in Muslim representation reflects both shifting party strategies and changing alliance structures. They trace the community’s political realignment to the aftermath of the 1989 Bhagalpur riots and the Ram Rath Yatra, which weakened Muslim support for the Congress. RJD chief Lalu Prasad subsequently positioned his party as a political home for Muslims and other marginalised groups, building a durable support base on a platform of social justice and inclusive empowerment.
However, analysts suggest that secular parties now exercise caution in distributing tickets to Muslim candidates, fearing polarisation of votes that could benefit rival parties.
The 243-member Bihar Assembly will go to polls in two phases on November 6 and November 11, with the results set to be announced on November 14.
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2nd WT20I: Shafali, spin trio do star turns in India''s seven-wicket win
Visakhapatnam (PTI): Shafali Verma hit a blistering unbeaten 69 as India made short work of a paltry target to outclass Sri Lanka by seven wickets in the second Women’s T20 International here on Tuesday.
India now lead the five-match series 2-0 after another one-sided victory, having restricted Sri Lanka to a modest 128 for 9 through a collective display of disciplined bowling from the spin trio of seasoned Sneh Rana, ably complemented by young spinners Vaishnavi Sharma and Shree Charani.
During the chase, vice-captain Smriti Mandhana (14) fell cheaply but Shafali, enjoying new found confidence after a stellar show in the World Cup final, sent the bowlers on a leather-hunt during her 34-ball knock, winning it for her team in just 11.5 overs.
The hosts have now completed back-to-back successful chases within 15 overs which speaks volumes about the unit's sky-high confidence.
Shafali's innings had 11 punchy boundaries apart from a maximum.
The floodgates opened when left-arm spinner Inoka Ranaweera bowled a few flighted deliveries and Shafali would step out everytime to hit her over extra cover. Her footwork against slow bowlers was immaculate whether stepping out to loft the ball or rocking back to punch or pull.
Seeing her confidence, the newly appointed Delhi Capitals skipper Jemimah Rodrigues (26 off 15 balls) also attacked as the duo added 58 runs in just 4.3 overs.
By the time Rodrigues was out trying to hit one six too many, the match as a contest was over. Shafali completed her half-century off just 27 balls and completed the formalities in a jiffy.
Earlier, off-spinner Rana, who got a look-in after Deepti Sharma was ruled out due to fever, showed her utility keeping the Lankan batters under tight leash with figures of 1 for 11 in 4 overs, including a maiden which certainly is a rarity in T20 cricket.
Charani, who made an impression during India's ODI World Cup triumph, took 2 for 23 in her quota of overs, while Vaishnavi after an impressive debut in the opening encounter, finished with 2 for 32, not letting the Islanders get easy runs in her second spell.
The last six wickets fell for just 24 runs, but what stood out during India’s bowling effort was their superb ground fielding. After a patchy show in the previous game, the improved sharpness in the field resulted in three run-outs.
Sri Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu (31 off 24 balls) looked in good nick as she deposited length deliveries from seamers Kranti Gaud and Arundhati Reddy over the ropes but it was Rana, who kept her quiet by repeatedly pitching on good length.
Unable to manoeuvre the strike and with the big hits suddenly drying up, Athapaththu chanced her arm at another delivery in which Rana had shortened the length slightly.
Not having transferred the weight into the lofted shot, Athapaththu's hoick was pouched cleanly by Amanjot Kaur at long-off.
This was after Athapaththu's opening partner Vishmi Gunaratne (1) had offered a simple return catch to Gaud.
Hasini Perera (22 off 28 balls) and Harshitha Samarawickrama (33 off 32 balls) did stitch a stand of 44 but they could never set the tempo against the Indian spin troika.
Once Hasini offered a tame return catch off a Charani full-toss, Sri Lankans never recovered and lost wickets in a heap towards the end.
