Muslim Vote Could Impact Outcome in Indian Elections

STEREO TYPING HINDUS OR MUSLIMS IS DOWNRIGHT STUPIDITY

http://mikeghouseforindia.blogspot.com/2014/04/muslim-vote-could-impact-outcome-in.htmlI have been screaming it out loud for a long time, and the exact same words are repeated by Analyst Yashwant Deshmukh, "Despite their ability to fairly impact the election outcome, Muslims in India should not be looked at as a monolithic body because they do not decide in unison which party to vote for." Indeed, this is the view of Most Muslims.  Muslims value individuality, I always remember - My mother and father voted differently in the elections, and did not raise an eyebrow over the difference, that is a value I have come to cherish and is a part of my pluralistic being.

It is downright stupidity for a few members of BJP and Congress to claim that Hindus or Muslims are with them, they are not.  I read non-sense like 800 Million Indians will vote for Modi… where were these folks born? It is dead wrong to assume that Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists and Dalits are monolithic.  - There is something missing with such thinking - on an average neither BJP nor INC will have 50% of support from either Hindus or Muslims. People vote as individuals, but the birds of the same feather flock together creating false impressions.

Thank you Deshmukh Saheb for beefing it up, "“Based on our research, voters, both Hindu and Muslim, vote for the candidate they think will serve them best rather than voting along the communal or ethnic lines,” Deshmukh said.

Who is not playing a vote bank?  The politicians are equal opportunity cheaters! The BJP appeals to the fundamentalist Hindus about Ram Mandir to garner their votes as a vote bank, the Congress does its own game and others do theirs. It is part of the politics.  Muslims do not vote en-masse exclusively, just as Hindus, Sikhs or Christians don't - they all vote for the candidate that is less flawed and perceived to be just and fair.  In the US elections - 85% of Indians voted for Obama, similar trends were with most minorities or immigrants. Indians are not a vote bank, they are smart voters like Muslims in India - they vote for the best.  Right now, Muslims are in a dilemma who to vote for, and as the interviews with street vendors to political analysts, they will make up their mind.

We need to grow up and accept the verdict of the people, whatever they decide we have to honor their vote, and I urge this to hard core BJP-ites and Congress-ites.

Mike Ghouse
http://www.MikeGhouseforIndia.blogspot.com

Muslim Vote Could Impact Outcome in Indian Elections

NEW DELHI — As India's multi-phase election continues, the country’s Muslim minority could have a significant impact on the outcome of the vote in the biggest democratic election in world history.

Muslims are uneasy about the popularity of the prime ministerial candidate of the Hindu nationalist, Bharatiya Janata Party, Narendra Modi.

The Imam of New Delhi’s Grand Mosque, Syed Ahmed Bukhari, urged Muslims to vote for the Congress Party, that currently is the ruling party in India.

Polling began this week in the first phase of voting that will continue over the next five weeks.

Muslims make up about 13 percent of the Indian population and in some constituencies the Muslim vote can play a key role in deciding the winner, analysts say.

Recent interviews with Muslims near the Grand Mosque showed division among voters.

Muhammad Anis, who sells fruit on a hand-drawn cart, said he will see who he likes before deciding who to back.

Another vendor, who gave his name as Haji, said that while he has a lot of respect for the Imam, he will – like most people – vote for the candidate he thinks is the best.

Analyst Hilal Ahmad researches voting trends among Muslims in India.

“It is impossible to even think that 180 million people make a unanimous decision and vote along the same lines,” said Hilal Ahmad, who researches voting trends among Muslims in India for the Center for Developing Societies of New Delhi.

Analyst Yashwant Deshmukh said there are about 35 constituencies where Muslims make up approximately 30 percent of the electorate.

“Then there are another 150 constituencies where Muslim population is close to 10 percent of the total voters,” said Deshmukh, the founder of a company called CVoter.  “Which means, in the House of 543 seats, there are about 200 seats where Muslim vote can somewhat affect the outcome.”

But Deshmukh said that despite their ability to fairly impact the election outcome, Muslims in India should not be looked at as a monolithic body because they do not decide in unison which party to vote for.

“Based on our research, voters, both Hindu and Muslim, vote for the candidate they think will serve them best rather than voting along the communal or ethnic lines,” Deshmukh said,

He added that surveys have proven that Muslims cannot be swayed by anyone to vote for any particular party.

Researcher Ahmad said his institute found in previous surveys that 96 percent of Muslims considered poverty, unemployment and education as their major issues.

But experts say it is difficult to find a pattern of voting among Indian Muslims.

In the last elections in the state of Gujarat, four in 10 Muslims voted for Chief Minister Narendra Modi.

Modi is viewed by many in India as a controversial figure because of what happened during one of the worst sectarian riots in country’s history in 2002, when hundreds of Muslims were killed in the state of Gujarat.  Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat then and critics say he did little or nothing to stop the violence.

Deshmukh said the fact that Modi received significant Muslim votes in Gujarat shows however that Muslims will vote for who they think can best serve their constituency despite the violent past.

Still, analysts say it will be hard for Modi’s party, BJP, which has emerged as the biggest challenger to the ruling Congress Party, to woo Muslim voters nationwide.

Throughout the campaign Modi has campaigned on the economy and development and has tried to distance himself from the riots.

http://www.voanews.com/content/muslim-vote-could-impact-outcome-in-indian-elections/1890765.html

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Muslim vote Bank

URL - http://mikeghouseforindia.blogspot.com/2014/03/muslim-vote-bank.html

I see positive things happening in India, and it is good. An increasing number of Muslims are contesting elections as Indians – and not as a Muslims. This is a positive movement of inclusiveness on the part of Muslims. This is a clear and rightful distinction, indeed, no one, be it Hindu, Muslim, Sikh or other should be voted in if he or she represents his or her own community – every elected representative represents his constituency and not religion.

My friend Dr. Javed Jamil wrote in response to Kejriwal comment that Muslims have lend themselves as a vote bank, he says, “The truth on the other hand is that Muslims have failed to become “Vote Banks”. If they had succeeded in becoming vote banks, they would have by now got what they deserve.”

One the other hand I advocate against becoming vote banks, be it Muslim, Hindu, Dalit, Sikh, Christian or others. It is not good for India.

We need to break the stereotyping – that Muslims vote as a block, which is sheer non-sense. Muslims vote for the candidate who is inclusive and cares for them as much as he or she cares for fellow Indians.

The argument that several Members of BJP run on exclusive interests of Hindus is true, but it is not good for India –because they do it, we have to do it logic is wrong. We have to rise above, we have to be better than the exclusive people and show them the right path of inclusiveness.  It will take time, what have we done in the last six decades?

Let Muslims run against Advani, Joshi, Modi, Rahul, Kejriwal and others as Indians with a determination to represent every resident – reach them out, even if some Hindu is resentful, reach them, the power of justness and caring is far more powerful than the agenda of duping the public with promises to build temples or mosques.

A handful of Muslims will make a lot of noise, just like a handful of Hindus do, let them. One should be daring and say – I am running as an Indian from this constituency to represent all residents. I am not running as a Muslim. I will be fair and equitable to every citizen. If Muslims, Dalits, Brahmins or others are disadvantaged, I will give attention to their issue, but I will never represent any one community exclusively, as I am an Indian and my public service is for every Indian. From this day forward, if you find me cater to the interests of one community over the other, I will withdraw from public service.

We have lost six decades,  let’s take this approach and start getting ready for the next elections – start taking initiative and see how we cannot change an India that cares for every one’s development without tearing into its cohesiveness. We can do it, all of us Indians together.

Jai Hind.

Blogs– http://MikeGhouseforIndia.blogspot.com and www.facebook.com/IndiaPluralism
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Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, peace, Islam, Israel, India, interfaith, and cohesion at work place. He is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. He believes in Standing up for others and a book with the same title is coming up. Mike has a strong presence on national and local TV, Radio and Print Media. He is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News; fortnightly at Huffington post; and several other periodicals across the world. His personal site www.MikeGhouse.net indexes all his work through many links.