Ejaz Khan and Naseem Ahmed
The BJP on Tuesday announced the second list of 21 candidates for the Haryana assembly elections. BJP has once again gambled on two Muslim candidates. Tickets have been given to Naseem Ahmed from Ferozepur Zirka and Ejaz Khan from Punhana. Sanjay Singh has been made the candidate in place of Zakir Hussain who contested last election from Nooh seat. Of the three assembly seats in the Muslim-majority Mewat region, the BJP has tried to settle political calculations by fielding a Muslim candidate in two and a Hindu candidate in one, but still the ‘lotus’ is not easy to bloom.
The Mewat region of Haryana is considered a Muslim-dominated region, where 70 people out of 80 percent of the population are Muslims. The center of Mewat is Nooh district, which has three assembly constituencies. These are Nuh, Punhana and Ferozepur Zirka Assembly Constituencies. All these three seats are held by the Congress and have Muslim MLAs. Congress has again fielded the same three faces. At the same time, in 2019, the bid to field Zaheer Hussain on the Noah seat and Naseem Ahmed on the Ferozepur-Zirka seat did not succeed, due to which the BJP has changed its strategy this time and entered the election fray.
New Muslim face unveiled
Instead of Muslim, the BJP has given ticket to Sanjay Singh, who is a party MLA from Sohna and a minister in the state, for the Noah assembly seat. They may not have faith in Zaheer Hussain, who contested in 2019 from Noah seat, but they have again fielded Naseem Ahmed in Ferozepur Zirka seat and a new Muslim face in Punhana seat. Ejaz Khan. In the last election, BJP had fielded a Hindu candidate on the Punhana seat, but this time it has bet the political chess by fielding a Muslim face.
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The road to victory is not easy
Till date, neither the BJP has been able to win the three assembly seats in Mewat region nor has anyone from the Hindu community become an MLA. So far, only Muslim MLAs have been elected to these three assembly seats, sometimes the Congress and sometimes the INLD have captured them. This has been the trend in Mewat since Haryana became a separate state in 1967. So all parties including Congress, INLD, JJP and BJP are betting on Muslim candidates. This time BJP has fielded two Muslim candidates in Mewat seats, but still the road to victory does not look easy.
Noah Seat: Aftab Vs Sanjay Singh
Congress has fielded its current MLA Aftab Ahmed as its candidate for the Noah assembly seat. BJP made a big political experiment by fielding state minister Sanjay Singh. Sanjay Singh is the MLA from Sohna, but this time the party has given him ticket from Nooh seat. INLD has fielded Tahir Hussain, son of former MLA Zakir Hussain, who contested from Nooh seat in 2019. Thus the contest for Noah seat has become very interesting, but the image of Sanjay Singh coming from Kshatriya community is Hindu and by fielding him, BJP has tried to corner Aftab as well.
Won the election for the first time
Rahim Khan won the first election from Nooh in 1967 and contested as an independent candidate. The Nooh seat has been elected 15 times so far, out of which Congress has won six times and INLD MLAs have been elected twice. Independents have won five times and other parties twice. In 2005, Habibur Rahman won as an independent and in 2009, Aftab Ahmed became an MLA from the Congress. After this, Zakir Hussain was elected MLA from INLD in 2014, while in 2019, Aftab again managed to win from Congress.
Minister of State Sanjay Singh
BJP has given ticket from Nooh seat to Minister of State Sanjay Singh, who was MLA from Sohna seat in Gurugram till now. Some part of Sohna is connected with Noah. Sanjay Singh is openly playing the Hindu card. In such a scenario, BJP has made a big experiment in Muslim-dominated Nooh, but apparently the rebellion of Zaheer Hussain’s son could prove costly for the BJP. However, there is a fear of a split in the Muslim vote due to Tahir contesting as an independent, which could increase the Congress’s traction. If there is a direct confrontation between the Congress and the BJP, it is difficult for the lotus to bloom.
Ferozepur-Zirka: Muslim versus Muslim
Congress has fielded its sitting MLA Maman Khan as its candidate for Ferozepur-Zhirka seat. BJP has fielded MLA Naseem Ahmed twice again for this seat. JJP’s Jan Mohammad has made his mark in the election field. In 2019, Maman Khan became MLA by winning by 37,004 votes. This time Congress and BJP have made the election war interesting by playing on their old faces. Naseem Ahmed managed to beat Maman Khan in 2009 and 2014, but the fight was tough. However, Naseem Ahmed has managed to win both times on an INLD ticket, but the move to contest from the BJP has not been successful.
The equation changed after Noah’s riots
The Muslim-dominated Ferozepur-Zirka seat has gone to polls 13 times since its formation. Congress has won the seat four times while INLD MLAs have been elected thrice. Apart from this five times independent or other party has won. After the Noah riots, the equation of the Ferozepur Zirka seat has changed. This seat has become very difficult for the BJP, as their hold among Muslims has strengthened after the allegations against Maman Khan. In such a situation, this seat is not easy for BJP.
Cousins ​​face off at Punhana seat
Mewat’s third assembly seat is Puna, from where the Congress has fielded its sitting MLA Mohammad Ilyas. This time, BJP has played Muslim stake in Punha seat and has made Ejaz Khan as its candidate. Md. Ilyas and Ejaz Khan are cousins. Thus the cousins ​​are contesting against each other on the Punhana seat. Ejaz Ahmed has entered the election fray for the first time while Ilyas has been contesting continuously. After delimitation, the seat came into political existence in 2009 and Ilyas became an MLA for the first time on an INLD ticket. After this, Raees Khan was elected as an independent MLA in 2014, but in 2019, Ilyas managed to win re-election.
It is not easy for BJP to blossom lotus
Muslim voters are playing a decisive role in three assembly seats in Mewat region, leading to Muslim victory. These seats have always been difficult for the BJP due to the political equation of Muslim votes. In 2019, the BJP fielded Muslim candidates on two of the three seats in Mewat, but could not register a victory. Even in the 2024 Lok Sabha, the BJP got less votes than the Congress in Mewat region seats. Earlier in 2019 and 2014 Lok Sabha elections too, BJP was left behind in Mewat region. In 2023, the political equations of Mewat changed after the violence in Nuh area. The Muslim community is believed to be particularly resentful of the BJP, due to which it is not easy for the Congress to grow in the Mewat region and for the BJP to flourish in the Mewat region.
