BJP to field Muslim candidate in UP assembly election for first time
Lucknow: In a politically significant development, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is planning to field a Muslim candidate in the upcoming assembly bypoll for the Kundarki seat in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh. This move marks the first time the BJP will field a Muslim candidate in an assembly election in the state.
The Kundarki seat became vacant after the incumbent Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA, Zia Ur Rehman, was elected to the Lok Sabha from the Sambhal constituency. Sources indicate that the BJP is considering a senior Muslim functionary from within its ranks for the bypoll.
A top BJP official confirmed to The Times of India that the party’s organizational leadership is in contact with a Muslim party member. “The state leadership will consider all aspects before finalizing his name and sending it to the central leadership for final approval,” the official stated.
Muslims constitute approximately 60% of the electorate in Kundarki, a seat the BJP has never won. The BJP's decision to field a Muslim candidate is seen as a strategic move to counter the opposition, primarily the SP-Congress alliance, and to consolidate votes in the upcoming bypolls on ten seats.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP fielded Abdul Salam, former vice-chancellor of Calicut University, from the Malappuram seat in Kerala. Although Salam lost to ET Mohammad Basheer of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), the decision reflected the party’s attempt to reach out to Muslim voters.
In Uttar Pradesh, the BJP last backed a Muslim candidate, Haider Ali, in the 2022 state elections from the Suar assembly seat in Rampur on an Apna Dal ticket, an ally. Ali lost to SP’s Abdullah Azam by over 60,000 votes. Previously, in the 1998 Lok Sabha elections, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi won from Rampur but lost the seat in 1999 to Congress’s Begum Noor Bano. Syed Shahnawaz Hussain, another senior Muslim BJP leader, won the Kishanganj seat in Bihar in the same year and was later inducted into the Vajpayee government.
The bypolls are seen as a crucial battle of prestige for both the BJP and the SP-Congress combine as they gear up for the 2027 assembly elections. By-elections are also due in Karhal, Katehari, Milkipur, Khair, Sisamau, Phulpur, Majahwan, Ghaziabad, and Meerapur. The BJP previously won Khair, Phulpur, and Ghaziabad, while the SP held Katehari, Karhal, Milkipur, Sisamau, and Kundarki. Meerapur and Majahwan were won by BJP allies, the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) and the NISHAD party, respectively.
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Punishment for those disrupting assembly proceedings, warns Speaker UT Khader
Belagavi: Speaker U.T. Khader on Friday warned that members who disrupt Assembly proceedings by talking in their seats during debates will be made to sit in the House for an entire day as a disciplinary measure.
The warning came after the Question Hour, when Deputy Leader of the Opposition Arvind Bellad was permitted to initiate a discussion on the development of North Karnataka.
At this point, expelled BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal objected, stating that he had been seeking a debate for the past three days but had not been given an opportunity.
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Responding to the objection, Speaker Khader said Bellad had already been granted permission and assured Yatnal that he would be allowed to speak at the next opportunity. He noted that even as a serious discussion was underway, several MLAs were speaking among themselves with their microphones on, disrupting the proceedings.
Expressing displeasure over the conduct of members, Khader likened the situation to football, where players receive red, yellow, or white cards for violations. Similarly, he said, the Assembly issues warning cards to members who disturb the House. If they fail to correct themselves despite repeated warnings, they would be required to remain seated in the Assembly hall for a full day as punishment, he stated.
