MADURAI: The BJP, which has declared that Madurai’s next mayor will be a Muslim woman, has fielded three Muslim candidates in the city for the local body elections, two of them women.
The three, Meharunisha P, 36, Kashifa Syed, 25 and Basheer Ahmed, 50, say they want to change the perception of BJP being anti-Muslim and focus on resolving civic issues in the localities where they are contesting.
Kashifa Syed, who joined the party in 2018, holds a diploma in plastic mould technology and is contesting from ward 22 where she is pitted against non-Muslim candidates. “I admired Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the party’s vision of development. There are wrong perceptions about BJP going around but since I joined I have not faced any discrimination. I have done various volunteer work and people from all religions have shown their support for it,” she said while campaigning in Ganesapuram near Thathaneri. “Apart from improper drainage and water supply issues, one of the major issues is the presence of wine shops in the area with many men falling prey to alcoholism. Moving the shops to a distance will help keep the community safer,” said Kashifa who runs her family’s transport business with her husband.
Meharunisha P, who has been actively participating in various social activities to help children and women, has studied till Class XII. “Members from the Muslim community are starting to understand the PM’s vision and people of all religions are being given opportunities in the party. By creating changes through hard work at grassroots level, a big change can be brought about,” she said. Meharunisha is contesting from ward no 54 where she has competition from Muslim leaders of other parties, including SDPI.
Basheer Ahmed, the only male Muslim candidate from the BJP, is contesting from ward no 36. The candidate said that despite initially despising the BJP for its perceived anti-Muslim policies, he later joined it and has been active in Madurai for the past 10 years. “As I campaigned, especially with the Hijab issue on in Karnataka, I faced resistance from some voters from our community. However, I believe I can make them understand. BJP is responsible for abolishing triple t alaq, Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, which has been for the benefit of Muslims,” he said.
