BJP Leader Clarifies Position on Muslim Votes in West Bengal
In a significant political development, Suvendu Adhikari, the senior BJP leader and Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, made crucial statements regarding Muslim voting patterns in the state during a rally on Monday. Addressing supporters in the Mandirbazar area of South 24 Parganas, Adhikari provided clarity on the BJP's position toward Muslim voters while highlighting what he described as vote consolidation along religious lines.
"We Don't Get Muslim Votes": Adhikari's Stark Admission
The BJP leader explicitly stated, "I never said BJP doesn't want Muslim votes in Bengal. We don't get their votes", directly addressing what he suggested were misconceptions about his party's stance. Adhikari provided specific electoral data to substantiate his claim, revealing striking figures from the Nandigram constituency where he contested.
According to Adhikari's disclosure, during the previous elections in Nandigram, he received only 400 Muslim votes, while CPM candidate Meenakshi Mukherjee secured approximately 1,200 Muslim votes. The overwhelming majority—64,000 Muslim votes—reportedly went to the Trinamool Congress, demonstrating a clear voting pattern that Adhikari attributed to religious consolidation.
Adhikari contrasted the political approaches of different parties, asserting that while the BJP focuses on development agenda, the Trinamool Congress allegedly uses religious leaders to consolidate Muslim votes along religious lines. "While we speak about development, Trinamool uses clerics to consolidate Muslim votes on religious lines", he claimed during his address.
Illegal Immigration and Electoral Integrity
The BJP leader also addressed the controversial issue of illegal immigration and its impact on electoral politics in West Bengal. Adhikari stated that under the proposed Systematic Voters' Education and Electoral Participation (SIR), illegal Muslim immigrants would be removed from voters' lists, a move he described as essential for maintaining electoral integrity.
Adhikari accused the Trinamool Congress of opposing SIR precisely because the party had allegedly "allowed illegal immigrants and Rohingya people to take shelter here." He emphatically declared that the BJP would not permit this situation to continue, framing it as a matter of national and state security.
Supporting Adhikari's concerns, BJP's Bengal minder and Bihar Health Minister Mangal Panday added weight to the allegations. Panday claimed that "If illegal voters don't remain, Trinamool won't sustain", suggesting that the ruling party's electoral strength depended on questionable voting practices. He further alleged that Trinamool supporters were threatening Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and pressuring them to ignore Election Commission rules.
Comparative Analysis with Bihar's Muslim Voting Patterns
In what appeared to be a strategic comparison, senior Bengal BJP leaders noted that Muslim voters in Bihar had demonstrated different voting behavior during recent elections. They observed that Bihar's Muslim electorate had the option of diversifying their political preferences beyond the mahagathbandhan (grand alliance), suggesting that West Bengal's Muslim voters might benefit from similar political diversification.
Adhikari concluded his remarks with a message directed at Muslim voters, asserting that "They have to realise BJP never discriminates on religious lines", positioning his party as inclusive and development-focused despite the current voting patterns. This statement forms part of the BJP's broader effort to expand its support base in West Bengal, where Muslim voters constitute a significant demographic bloc.
The developments come amid ongoing political realignments in West Bengal, where the BJP has been attempting to make significant inroads against the dominant Trinamool Congress. Adhikari's detailed breakdown of Muslim voting patterns and his party's position on illegal immigration sets the stage for intensified political discourse as the state prepares for future electoral contests.
