Cracks among minority leaders as AIMPLB member backs Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA)

Mumbai: A day after a prominent Muslim intellectual extended support to 269 candidates of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) for the Maharashtra Assembly polls, differences cropped up among other leaders of different backgrounds, here on Thursday.

The globally acclaimed Shaikh Khalil-Ur-Rahman Sajjad Nomani, Member of the powerful All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) published a list of 269 MVA candidates, plus 19 of other parties who he and his groups would back in the November 20 elections, irrespective of their caste or religion.

They comprise 170 Marathas/OBCs, 53 from SC/STs, 23 Muslims, 40 from other communities/groups, besides 19 more from parties like Samajwadi Party, All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen, CPM, CPI, PWP, and a few independents.

“The intention to extend our support is to defeat the forces that are challenging the Indian Constitution. The candidates whom we back have been selected after widespread research, ground reports, surveys and other criteria over the past month,” said Nomani.

Since the Maharashtra Assembly elections have generated considerable attention in the current political scenario, Nomani said that the Muslim intellectuals, scholars, activists, and opinion makers from across communities in the state have great expectations from the contending Opposition political parties.

Among the prominent MVA candidates who got the thumbs up from Nomani and his group include Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Aditya Thackeray, Kedar Dighe, Vinod Ghosalkar and Varun Desai; Congress’ M. Arif Naseem Khan, Amin Patel, Asif Zakaria, Aslam Shaikh; Nationalist Congress Party (SP)’s Jayant R. Patil, Yugendra S. Pawar, Jitendra Awhad, Fahad Ahmad, among many others. Among other parties, the SP State President Abu Asim Azmi, his colleague Rais Shaikh; CPM’s Vinod Nikole and Jiva Pandu Gavit; CPI’s Budha Pawara; PWP’s Chitralekha Patil, plus some others.

However, the move has evoked sceptical reactions from other prominent minority leaders like Muslim scholar and intellectual Maulana Burhanuddin Qasmi, Muslim Welfare Association’s Saleem Sarang and more. (IANS)

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