New Delhi, January 14: The All India Ulama and Mashaikh Board (AIUMB), a leading body of Sunni sufis, on Friday asked people to vote against Wahabi and BJP candidates in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand polls. If their plan succeeds, the sufis could play a spoiler for several Muslim candidates in UP.
“Irrespective of parties, people should vote only those candidates who are secular, have a clean image and will work for development, including education and employment,” said AIUMB general secretary Maulana Syed Mohammad Ashraf Kichhouchhwi.
All parties, including Congress, SP and BSP, have fielded Muslim candidates belonging to the hard-line Wahabis who are a threat to the peace and secular fabric of the country, said AIUMB national secretary Babar Ashraf.
The sufis, who claim to represent 80% of country’s Muslims, will not support any particular political party, though. “We had announced our demands at October Muslim mahapanchayat in Moradabad, which include initiatives for education and employment of Muslims, freeing Waqf properties from forcible occupation and Wahabi domination, framing a Dargah Act, among others,” the Maulana said.
AIUMB decided to support the political party that would include the outfit’s demands in their manifesto. “None of the parties have done that yet. So, we are not supporting any party,” he said.
In about 121 assembly seats in UP, Muslims comprise more than 30% of the electorate, and can swing the result in these constituencies.
In the 2007 assembly polls, Muslims were in the first and second positions in 51 seats. In about 31 seats, they occupied first and third positions. Delimitation has changed social composition of seats. Yet, if the sufis can consolidate their support base, they can upset fortunes in several of these seats, claimed Babar Ashraf.
“Except Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar and Meerut, Sunni sufis are in a majority in the rest of UP. We are chalking out a strategy to oppose Wahabi candidates. Depending how things play out, we can field independent candidates to spoil chances of the Wahabis,” he said.
At Sambhal constituency, for instance, sufis are likely to field an independent candidate. “All parties, including SP’s Iqbal Mehmood, RLD’s Azan Qureshi and BSP, have fielded Wahabis. We have a majority following among Muslims here. Even if our candidate doesn’t win, it will dent the support of Wahabis,” said Ashraf.
-TOI