Winning the Muslim Vote: Past, Present & Future..

With a population of 140 million people, India's Muslims make for an impressive political force. Asides from the sheer number of votes they provide, securing the Muslim vote was long considered indispensable for any political party claiming to be a secular, pan-national movement in India. The only problem is -- as many political parties are only now discovering -- is that the Muslim vote doesn't actually exist.

While media and politicians alike often characterise India's Muslim community as a kind of monolithic entity that can be rallied behind a single party, this year's elections reveal a diverse community that increasingly votes for parties based on issues of education, economic opportunity and political stability. Whereas in the past political parties could get away with making lavish promises to the community at large, Muslims today are far more discerning.

The Past : Congress

For the better part of 50 years, the Muslim community generally voted for the India's National Congress Party, owing to a widespread belief that Congress was the only secular party capable of looking after their interests. However, over time Congress became increasingly complacent vis-a-vis Muslim concerns.

The Current Scenario

Today, however, India's political environment is far different: there are some 170 parties to choose from and secularism is increasingly prevalent across the political spectrum. The greater variety of political choice available, coupled with the Muslim community's increasing pragmatism, now opens the door to a host of new voting permutations, some of which were unimaginable just five years ago.

The BJP Relationship

The BJP and the Muslim community share a difficult past. The BJP is widely believed to have helped unleash the mob of Hindu fundamentalists that destroyed the Babri Mosque in Ayodhya back in 1993 and many BJP allies still justify its destruction on the grounds that the mosque was built over an ancient temple to the Hindu god Ram.

Now, as part of their effort to shed their nationalist image and broaden their overall appeal, the BJP, is taking great pains to reach out to the Muslim community. Indian Prime Minister Atal Vajpayee, considered by many to be the secular face of the BJP, last month unveiled an election manifesto that specifically outlines a plan to help the Muslim community through education, economic development and empowerment.

Voting For The Future

BJP spokesperson Maqtar Abbas Naqvi, "Muslims have no choice but to vote along secular lines. There is a chance that political parties will ignore them, but this is a genuine democracy and through the ballot box a kind of harmony will be created," he said. "There is no more secular vote in this country than the Muslim vote and I think it has the potential to be a unifying force within the country. For the first time ever, Muslims are voting for the future and not the past."