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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Defence production hits record high of nearly Rs 1.27 lakh crore in 2023-24: MoD
New Delhi, Jul 5: India's annual defence production has hit a record high of approximately Rs 1.27 lakh crore in 2023-24, with the Make in India programme crossing new milestones, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Friday.
The value of defence production in FY 2022-23 was Rs 1,08,684 crore.
Welcoming the "encouraging development", Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "Compliments to all those who have contributed to this feat. We are fully committed to nurturing a supportive environment to further enhance our capabilities and establish India as a leading global defence manufacturing hub".
"This will enhance our security apparatus and make us Aatmanirbhar!" he said on X.
Singh said the government is committed to creating a more conducive regime for developing India as a leading global defence manufacturing hub.
"The Ministry of Defence has achieved the highest-ever growth in indigenous defence production in value terms during financial year (FY) 2023-24, on the back of successful implementation of the policies and initiatives of the government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, focussing on achieving 'Aatmanirbharta'," the defence ministry said in a statement.
The annual defence production has hit a record high of approximately Rs 1.27 lakh crore in 2023-24, it said.
"As per the data received from all Defence Public Sector undertakings (DPSUs), other PSUs manufacturing defence items and private companies, the value of defence production in the country has gone up to a record-high figure, i.e., Rs 1,26,887 crore, reflecting a growth of 16.7 per cent over the defence production of the previous financial year," the statement said.
Singh congratulated the Indian industry, including defence public sector undertakings and other public sector undertakings manufacturing defence items, and the private industry for the feat.
"The Make in India programme is crossing new milestones, year after year, under the leadership of PM Shri @narendramodi," he said.
"India has registered the highest ever growth in the value of defence production in 2023-24. The value of production has reached to Rs. 1,26,887 crore in 2023-24 which is 16.8 per cent higher than the value of production of previous financial year," he wrote on X.
The defence ministry said that of "the total value of production (VoP) in 2023-24, about 79.2 per cent has been contributed by DPSUs/other PSUs and 20.8 per cent by the private sector".
The data shows that in terms of absolute value, both DPSUs/PSUs and private sector have recorded a steady growth in defence production, the statement said.
The feat has been achieved due to the policy reforms and initiatives and ease of doing business brought in by the government in the last 10 years with focus on attaining self-reliance, the ministry said.
"The indigenisation efforts have been pursued aggressively on a sustained basis, that resulted in the highest ever VoP. Moreover, the spiralling defence exports have contributed tremendously to the overall growth in the indigenous defence production," the statement said.
Defence exports touched a record-high of Rs 21,083 crore in FY 2023-24, reflecting a growth of 32.5 per cent over the last fiscal when the figure was Rs 15,920 crore, it added.
In the last five years (since 2019-20), the value of defence production has been increasing steadily, and grown by over 60 per cent, the statement said and also shared year-wise data in this period.
Very encouraging development. Compliments to all those who have contributed to this feat. We are fully committed to nurturing a supportive environment to further enhance our capabilities and establish India as a leading global defence manufacturing hub. This will enhance our… https://t.co/ddNvNzPFKD
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 5, 2024
