In Limbayat assembly seat in Surat district, Muslim voters face a problem of plenty. Of the 44 total candidates in the fray on this seat, the minority representation is over 80 percent. The community comprises 27 percent of the total electorate and has the option to choose from as many as 36 Muslim candidates.
Likewise, Bapunagar constituency in Ahmedabad, which has 28 percent Muslim votes, of the total 29 contestants, 10 are from the minority community. Similarly, the Vejalpur seat, which includes the largest Muslim ghetto of Juhapura, boasting 35 percent vote share, has 15 Muslim candidates in the fray, all contesting as independent candidates.
In the upcoming state assembly polls, only a handful Muslim candidates have been fielded by major political parties. While BJP has not fielded any Muslim candidate, Congress has given tickets to six, AAP to three and AIMIM to 13 contestants.
Take the Surat (East) seat, which has 22 percent Muslim votes, Congress’s Aslam Cyclewala faces stiff competition from his own Muslim community as 12 of the total 14 candidates are Muslims. Dariapur constituency in Ahmedabad with 46 percent Muslim votes has five Muslim contestants of the total seven.
Besides, there are seats like Godhra and Bhuj where of the 10 candidates each, half are Muslims.
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