– Mohammed Atherulla Shariff
Bengaluru, June 26: The conglomeration of Muslim organisations in Karnataka, the Muslim Muttahida Mahaz had put in sustained and planned efforts in the Parliamentary Elections 2024 and it has yielded expected results, said Mahaz Convenor Masood A Khadir here Tuesday.
After taking stock of the plans and efforts in a post-poll meeting, the Mahaz leaders addressed the media persons and claimed that unlike in 2019, Muslims polling increased by around 25 percent in 2024. Though the total results of the elections were not as expected but the role of Muslims this time is indispensable, said Mohammed Yusuf Kanni, the joint convenor of Mahaz.
Elaborating on his point, Yusuf said Mahaz worked in coordination with ‘Wake Up Karnataka’ , an umbrella body of various NGOs, to create political awareness and educate the voters in right direction. Similar efforts were made in the 2023 state Assembly elections too. Both the elections provided us good opportunity to reach out to the non-Muslim voters too, especially the downtrodden classes. Extensive tours were conducted across the state by all the organization heads of Mahaz and Wake Up Karnataka, he added.
In 2019 parliamentary elections, the Muslim poll percentage in Karnataka was 56% and this time it was around 80%. There was no third front or I.N.D.I.A alliance in the state, it was a bipolar election, said Yusuf Kanni.
When asked about the issues, like Hijab, are still haunting the Muslim community and Congress government in the state is merely giving lollypops, Yusuf Kanni said Mahaz is engaged with the government heads to resolve these issues.
