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Muslims hold the key in Bareilly district's 9 seats

Muslims are unlikely to back candidates of any single party

Bareilly: Caste and religious equations are expected to dominate in the nine Assembly seats in this district famous for the `dargah' of Sufi saint Ala Hazrat that attracts Hindus and Muslims from across the country.

As a majority of the nine seats have a sizeable Muslim population, the voting by the community will in all likelihood decide the fate of candidates in the fray here.

Though all parties barring the BJP claim to have the support of the dargah, which has a large following in the district, Ulemas and clerics associated with it have so far not issued any appeal in favour of any party.

Muslims are also unlikely to back candidates of any single party, rendering the contest wide open.

A lot is at stake for the ruling Samajwadi Party, which won five of these seats in the 2002 Assembly elections, followed by the BJP with two seats and the BSP with one. An independent candidate was victorious in Bareilly Cantonment.

What makes the contest interesting is the presence of a Muslim party -- the Ittehad Millat Council (IMC) headed by controversial Maulana Aukeer Raza Khan, who came to the limelight after he issued a fatwa for "beheading" Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen, currently living in India.

The IMC has fielded candidates in several seats in the district, and has some support in the city and cantonment. Observers say a close contest is certain at Faridpur and Aonla, when Bareilly goes to the polls in the third phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections on April 18.

While the Samajwadi Party bagged Faridpur, Nawabganj, Bhojipura, Kanwa and Baheri seats in the 2002 polls, the BJP won Bareilly City and Aonla.

The BSP, however, finished second at three places. Moreover its candidate lost Faridpur by only 238 votes. The BJP scraped through in Aonla by a margin of only 263 votes.

The Congress finished second in Muslim-dominated Bareilly Cantonment, losing to an independent by 14,000 votes. However, it hopes to turn the tables this time.

The Congress won the mayoral elections in Bareilly city last year, when its candidate emerged victorious by over 60,000 votes.

Among the Muslims, the Ansari community commands a majority in the cantonment seat and is likely to be the deciding factor. Samajwadi Party's Fahim Sabir, an Ansari, hopes to corner a large chunk of Ansari votes.

The star campaigners of all major parties have addressed election meetings here. Samajwadi Party president and Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav addressed over a dozen rallies in the city and adjoining areas while BSP chief Mayawati has also held rallies. The star campaigner for the Congress was its young MP Rahul Gandhi, who held roadshows in nearby Shahabad and Milak (Nilaspur) Assembly constituencies in neighbouring Rampur district.

With no visible undercurrents in favour of any party, a tough electoral battle appears to be on the cards when the seats go to the polls. -- PTI

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