Muslim leaders of Gujarat have demanded at least 14 tickets from the Congress in the Gujarat Assembly elections. Gujarat Congress vice-president J. V. Momin was reported as having put forward a demand that at least 14 constituencies should have Muslim candidates from the Congress. “We had put forward a demand before the party leadership that tickets should be given to Muslim candidates in at least 14 constituencies where the population of the community is more than 35 per cent,” said Mr. Momin.
Fourteen constituencies where Muslims are more than 35% of the population include Kalupur, Shahpur, Jamalpur, Balasinor, Siddhpur, Mangrole, Bhuj, Abdasa and Vankaner. Total Muslim population in Gujarat is about 14 per cent.
Gujarat is scheduled to have elections for a new Assembly on December 11 and 16.
There are only 3 Muslims in the current 182-member Assembly, all belonging to the Congress. Mohammad Faruk Hussain Miyan Shaikh of Kalupur (Ahmedabad), Rashida Iqbal Patel of Vagra (Bharuch), and Devadiwala Usmangani Ismailbhai of Jamalpur. In 2002 the Congress put up two more candidates, Rayma Haji Juma Haji Ebrahim of Abdasa and Peerzada Mahmad Javid Abdul Mutleeb of Wankaner, who lost their elections.