No Muslim candidate for Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh

Lucknow: Muslims in Uttar Pradesh are angry over the fact that none of the political parties in Uttar Pradesh have fielded a Muslim candidate for the upcoming biennial elections to the Rajya Sabha.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, not even a single Muslim candidate could win the elections from Uttar Pradesh.

“This behaviour of political parties will make us do some serious rethinking for the assembly elections. The Samajwadi Party, BSP and Congress treat us as vote banks but when it comes to giving us our due, they turn towards their loyalists. We will convene a meeting of Muslim clerics and senior leaders – cutting across sectarian differences—next month after Ramzan and decide what is to be done”, said a senior Muslim cleric, known for his proximity to the Samajwadi Party.

The cleric, who did not wish to be named, said he was shocked that the SP list did not include even a single Muslim candidate.

Senior Muslim clerics and leaders had even met Mulayam Singh Yadav and the latter had assured them that he would make changes and include a Muslim candidate. He did make changes but included a Jat (Surendra Nagar) instead.

“Apparently, the Samajwadi Party feels that it can do without our votes and that is fine with us too. We will now wait for the assembly polls”, the cleric said.

It is noteworthy that in the 2012 state elections, the maximum number of Muslim MLAs (68) was elected to the Uttar Pradesh assembly.