Muslims in India’s Bihar hope to vote for development

Even as voting is still underway, Bihar’s Muslim community say they have been neglected by their politicians.

PATNA: Elections are now soon coming to a close in the Eastern Indian state of Bihar which is one of India’s poorest and least developed states.

Even as voting is still underway, some communities say they have been neglected by their politicians.

Affirmative action has not worked for Bihar’s Muslim community even though they have voted en bloc for a party that has been in power for 15 years.

The community makes up about 17 per cent of Bihar’s 100 million people but they are neither well organised politically, nor have they got land or are influential.

Traditionally, the Muslim community has voted for the largest party in India – the Congress – or socialist parties who espouse a pro-poor agenda. But even then, that has not improved their condition.

In Bhairopura village where Muslims are in majority, there is mild apprehension that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which has a pro-Hindu tilt might form government in the state.

Rumours of a blanket ban on beef consumption being imposed or rising intolerance towards non-Hindus are making the rounds, but community leaders say it will not affect them.

“The beef controversy hasn’t had any impact here – neither on Hindus nor on Muslims,” said resident Abdul Rauf. “I have been living here for ages and was even a chief for 22 years or so, and no one ever had any issues with that. We participate in each other’s wedding celebrations and share meals. Even when politicians tried to create trouble, we were not impacted.”

Pinku Paswan, a Hindu echoes the same view. “It’s only politicians who try to divide the communities for their votes.”

Community and religious leaders too have not issued any diktats on which way people should vote, which is seen as a healthy democratic trend.

Promises of development in one of India’s poorest regions is what will decide who wins the elections in Bihar. The Muslim voters want as much for the state as the Hindu voters. But if its 17 per cent of Muslim votes here go against the BJP and towards the Grand Alliance then it would significantly impact on the poll outcome here.

The grand alliance can then pitch itself as the voice of minorities, not just in Bihar but in the rest of India as well.