By Kulsum Mustafa
Lucknow on Wednesday scored its maiden first division in Independent India. The administrative hub of Uttar Pradesh crossed all past records as it attained its highest polling percentage of 60.5 in the fourth phase of the state assembly elections. The closest that the city had come to in the past was a good second division in 2017 when it had scored 58.45 percent. Voting in 59 constituencies spread across nine districts of Uttar Pradesh included the nine seats from Lucknow, the city which has a mixed population and rates high on the global cultural index.
While the credit for reaching this high score is largely due to the desperation of the masses which appears fed up with the BJP government’s anti-people policies, the big role of the minority cannot be overlooked in raising the polling percentage bar so high. Ignored, humiliated, and literally pushed to the wall, the minority voted in sheer desperation for a change. casting its anti- BJP mandate. Long queues of burqa-clad women and men with skull caps outside polling stations were presented visuals that spoke clearly of how desperately the minority wanted the saffron-driven machinery to leave the city.
But it is not just the rise in polling percentage that needs to be illustrated here there is also a bigger change that needs dwelling upon. Apart from creating a record of numbers the other feather in Lucknow’s cap is the city, known to have a fragile social fabric wherein sectarian biases exist and erupt often in this election choose to vote in Unisom, sans any Shia Sunni tags. It was minority versus the BJP in totality with no scope of if and buts.
“The minority voted an mass, goaded with just an anti- BJP sentiment, not heeding to any calls from the imams or maulanas,” said Aman Abbas, editor of Urdu daily Sahafat.
Aman was referring to the last-minute pre-poll election video clip released by the Shia cleric, Kalbe Jawwed, giving clear hints that the community shun Samajwadi Party and instead vote for the BJP.
The video caused a flutter in all circles as it meant a large chunk of Shia votes going the BJP way. But all too soon the damage control was done and the enlightened and vigilant members of the community started issuing statements against Jawwad’s appeal on all social platforms. It was made clear in these posts that the maulana was doing it in return for all the favors of BJP senior leaders who had helped him and his coterie in waqf matters both in the state and in Delhi. The latest example cited was the help given to the cleric for retaining his hold in the committee of Shah-e- Marda Trust of Delhi. Members of the sect started a door to door visits, got other Shia clerics to issue statements against this call by the cleric. and explain to the Shia community that the cleric is supporting the saffron party due to pressure from his grand-nephew who is a BJP member and a nephew who has food outlets and want to gain commercially from BJP
Members from his own immediate family also came forward and criticized this move publically and this proved to be the biggest saving grace.
“Haq ka saat dey aur zalim ko na chuney ( Support the those in the right path and shun the cruel) said one of his cousins. He said those who are spreading hatred and communal divide must be shunned. Followers of Shia sect were asked to imply the Aqkli kanoon (Law of intellect).
Another thing that helped avoid any division of votes of the Shia community was Yogi Adityanath’s anti- Shia statements for ‘ Hindu Polarization. He had said in his election campaigns that for him “Bajrang Dal (God Hanuman ) was enough and that he did not need “Hazrat Ali”. This has angered the Shia sect followers a lot. Also, the fact that for the laws two years the BJP government has not allowed either the Muharram processions or the burial of tazias during Muharram has also angered the community. They have bottled up all this anger and they got a chance to spill it all out on the Maulana. He was charged with siding with the government for the sake of his personal interest and leaving the community to its fate. Abusive language, allegations filled up social platforms. It was clear that the Shias will never side with anyone who had insulted those whom they believed in so ardently.
So on the fateful day not only the Shias of Lucknow but in all the 59 constituencies cast their votes jointly as Minority against the BJP including in Pilibhit, Lakhimpur Kheri, Sitapur, Hardoi, Unnao, Lucknow, Rae Bareli, Banda, and Fatehpur. The day sealed the fate of 624 candidates in the fourth phase.
Now the three-phase left will see polling on February 27, and March 3 and 7. Results will be announced on March 10.
| Posted by Sameer Khan | 
