Maharashtra Congress promises adequate share of Tickets to Muslims

MUMBAI: Maharashtra Congress which is seeking to regain its lost ground among Muslims has promised adequate share in ticket distribution to members of the community.

"The party has agreed to demand from different sections of the Muslim community that in constituencies where there is more than 30 per cent Muslim population, the tickets should be given to meritorious candidates from the community," said Mumbai Congress minority department chairman Nizamuddin Rayeen.

He was present along with Mumbai Regional Congress Committee chief Sanjay Nirupam and state president Ashok Chavan in a meeting with community members held earlier this week.

Against the backdrop of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) cornering a chunk of Muslim votes in the Aurangabad civic polls, Chavan and Nirupam recently met over 100 clerics, imams, preachers at Madrassa Jamia Wadriya Ashrafia in South Mumbai to discuss issues concerning the Muslim community and reasons why the party's traditional vote bank has drifted away from it, he added.

According to Rayeen, this was the first among a series of meetings planned with cross section of the community in coming days.

Community leaders discussed various issues including Muslim reservation in education, beef ban, insufficient funds for welfare schemes of Muslims among other things, he said, adding they complained that Congress had not taken up welfare of Muslims seriously when it was in power.

"Both Chavan and Nirupam assured that their demand for share for Muslims in ticket distribution in Civic, Assembly and Lok-Sabha elections would be addressed," he said.

"The leaders told the community leaders that the party will identify constituencies where Muslims voters were more than 30 per cent and nominate candidates accordingly," Rayeen added.