Here’s how Muslim candidates fared in West Bengal Elections; Detailed report
41 of 42 Mamata’s Muslim candidates won, but overall Muslim numbers in state assembly declines
Kolkata: The number of Muslim MLAs in the newly-elected 292-member West Bengal assembly is on a constant decline since the 2011 state elections even as 41 of 42 Muslim candidates fielded by Mamata Banerjee’s TMC emerged victorious in the new assembly.
In the 2011 assembly election, 59 Muslim candidates marched into the state assembly while the numbers dipped down to 56 in 2016. In 2021, when 41 Muslim candidates of TMC alone emerged victorious in the polls, the overall numbers remained a meagre 42.
Rashtriya Secular Majlis Party (RSMP) candidate Md. Nawsad Siddique is the lone Muslim MLA to walk into the WB assembly who does not belong to Mamata Banerjee’s party.
TMC contested on all of 292 constituencies that went to the polls (Bypolls will be held on two constituencies later) and won 213 seats to retain the power for the third consecutive term of CM Mamata Banerjee. They had fielded Muslim candidates of 42 seats, all of them but one candidate made it to the assembly.
Among Mamata’s 41 Muslim MLAs is Humayun Kabir, the police commissioner Chandannagar near Kolkata who had quit the police force and joined the politics a few months before the election.
The BJP on the other hand won a total of 77 seats but none of them is a Muslim.
Congress and CPI-M, however, failed to register win on even one seat let alone Muslim candidate in the election, in what has been their worst electoral show in the state.
Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM fielded 5 candidates in the election and none of them could win any seat for the party.
Indian Secular Front (ISF) of Abbas Siddiqui had fielded candidates in 26 seats but could not manage to win any seats.
The only positive for the Muslim community from the WB election is the winning percentage of TMC's Muslim candidates despite the communal politics triggered by the right-wing to steer elections into their favor, but the community will surely look for answers when it comes to the declining overall numbers of its candidates in the 294-member assembly of the state.
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UDF leaders see local body poll trends as pointer to 2026 Assembly elections in Kerala
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Buoyed by the strong performance of the Congress-led UDF in the local body polls, KPCC president Sunny Joseph said on Saturday that the front's results indicated the people had rejected the LDF government.
According to early trends, the UDF was leading in more grama panchayats, block panchayats, municipalities and corporations than the LDF.
The local body polls were held in two phases in the state earlier this week.
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Speaking to reporters here, Joseph said the people of Kerala had extended their support to the UDF.
"We could expose the LDF government’s anti-people stance and the people understood it. The LDF’s fake propaganda was rejected by the people. The UDF is moving towards a historic victory," he said.
He said a united effort, proper preparations, good candidate selection and hard work had resulted in the Congress and the UDF’s victory in the elections.
Asked about the prospects in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, Joseph said the party was studying the matter and would comment later.
LDF convenor T P Ramakrishnan said the results would be closely examined.
According to him, the government had done everything possible for the people.
"Why such a verdict happened will be examined at the micro level. People’s opinion will be considered and further steps will be taken," he said.
He added that decisions would be taken after analysing the results. "If any corrective measures are required, we will initiate them and move forward," he said.
AICC leader K C Venugopal said the results showed that people had begun ousting those who, he alleged, were responsible for the loss of gold at Lord Ayyappa’s temple.
"This trend will continue in the Assembly elections as well. It is an indication that the people are ready to bring down the LDF government," he said.
Venugopal said the UDF had registered victories even in CPI(M) and LDF strongholds.
"I congratulate all UDF workers for their hard work. Congress workers and leaders worked unitedly," he said.
Referring to remarks made by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan against the Congress on polling day, Venugopal said the voters had responded through the verdict.
"I do not know whether the chief minister understands that the people are against him. Otherwise, he does not know the sentiment of the people. The state government cannot move an inch further," he said.
He said the results indicated a strong comeback for the UDF in Kerala.
Asked whether the Sabarimala gold loss issue had affected the LDF in the local polls, Venugopal said the CM and the CPI(M) state secretary did not take the issue seriously.
"We took a strong stand on the matter. The BJP played a foul game in it," he alleged.
On the BJP's role in the local body elections, Venugopal alleged that the party operated with the CPI(M) 's tacit support.
"The CPI(M) supported the central government on issues such as PM-SHRI, labour codes and corruption in national highway construction. The CPI(M) is facing ideological decline, and the state government’s policies are against the party’s own decisions," he said.
Meanwhile, LDF ally Kerala Congress (M) leader Jose K Mani said the party could not win all the wards it had expected in the elections.
He congratulated winners from all parties and said the party would closely examine the losses and identify shortcomings. "Later, we will take corrective measures," he added.
Senior Congress leader and MP Rajmohan Unnithan said the trends in the local body elections indicated that the UDF would return to power in the 2026 Assembly elections.
"We will win 111 seats as in 1977 and return to power in 2026. The anti-government sentiment of the people is reflected in the elections," he said.
Unnithan said the people were disturbed and unhappy with the present government.
"The trend indicates the end of the LDF government," he added.
CPI(M) MLA M M Mani said the people had shown ingratitude towards the LDF despite benefiting from welfare schemes.
"After receiving all welfare schemes and living comfortably, people voted against us due to some temporary sentiments. Is that not ingratitude," he asked.
Mani said no such welfare initiatives had taken place in Kerala earlier.
"People are receiving pensions and have enough to eat. Even after getting all this, they voted against us. This is what can be called ingratitude," he said.
Muslim League state president Panakkad Sayyid Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal said the results were beyond expectations.
"The outcome points towards the Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram, indicating that a change of government is imminent. We are going to win the Assembly election," he said.
