– Raheem Khan
Jhunjhunu: Thousands of members from Muslim Nyay Manch handed over a memorandum to Chiranjeev Rao, Rajasthan Congress co-incharge and national secretary, demanding a ticket for a Muslim candidate in the upcoming Jhunjhunu assembly by-election. Rao was visiting the District Congress Committee office to discuss the by-election with party workers. The memorandum included applications from 30 Muslim communities in Jhunjhunu.
Speaking at the event, Rajasthan Madrasa Board Chairman M.D. Chopdar highlighted that the Congress has never fielded a Muslim candidate in the Jhunjhunu assembly since India’s independence. He pointed out that despite the Muslims’ unwavering support for the Congress across Rajasthan, no Muslim candidate has ever been given a ticket in this constituency. He also reminded the gathering that Captain Ayub had been elected to Parliament twice from the Jhunjhunu Lok Sabha constituency on Congress ticket.
Chopdar expressed the community’s gratitude for the Congress’s past support and urged them to nominate a Muslim candidate in the upcoming by-election. He added that if there were any personal opposition to his candidacy, the ticket could be given to any Muslim from the 70,000-strong Muslim electorate in Jhunjhunu.
“I am ready to sacrifice my personal ambitions for the community,” he said, emphasizing that the outcome of this election would not affect the government’s standing.
Imran Badgujar, convener of the Manch, reinforced the demand while presenting the memorandum to Rao. He stated that Congress must field a Muslim candidate in the by-election, warning that if the demand is not met, the community would withhold their votes.
Several other prominent Muslim Congress leaders also shared their views at the event. Senior figures like Jabbar Fulka, Islampur Sarpanch Amin Maniyar, and Dargah Committee Secretary Usman Maligaon submitted their biodata to the Congress co-incharge, urging him to consider their request. Yunus Ali Rangrez, a former Lok Sabha candidate from Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), also demanded a ticket under the INDIA alliance.
Prominent leaders on stage included Jhunjhunu in-charge Sujangarh MLA Manoj Meghwal, Nauhar MLA Amit Chachan, former minister Naseem Akhtar, OBC department national coordinator Bharat Singh Togad, District Congress Committee president Dinesh Sunda, and NSUI district president Rahul Jakhar.
Thousands of supporters attended the event, including Abdul Latif Khanzada, Ayub Badgujar, Farooq Ali, Bijendra Kaswan, Azam Badgujar, Irfan Qureshi, Abdul Jabbar, Imran Khan, Osama Syed, Mustafa Bhati, and many more. The event was moderated by Samshad Khan Siriyasar and Santosh Saini.
