QUESTION OF RIGHT TO FRANCHISE
GUWAHATI: Gouranga Barman (54) and his wife Anjana Barman (49) of Kamrup metropolitan district had been declared D Voters (those whose citizenship is in doubt) in 1997. After a long legal battle, they were finally declared Indian citizens by a foreigners’ tribunal in March last year.
But even after a year, their names have not been included in the new electoral rolls, which might result in their not being able to vote even in this election. Their son, though, is hopeful. “My father had voted a few times before he was marked a D Voter in 1997. We are hopeful that we can exercise franchise this time, though we aren’t sure how long it will take for our names to be included,” said Sukumar Barman (32), the son of the Barman couple.
Why the 30% Muslim vote share is crucial in Bengal, explains Robin Roy
Two leaders vouching for Muslim identity are in the assembly election frayâAIMIM boss and Lok Sabha MP Asaduddin Owaisi and the Furfura Darbar Sharif preacher Pirzada Abbas Siddiqui
According to the 2011 Census, West Bengal had over 24.6 million Bengali Muslims, who formed 27.01 per cent of the population of the state. Bengali Muslims form the majority of the population in three districts Malda, Murshidabad and Uttar Dinajpur.
The Bengali Muslim population in the state (West Bengal) soon after the Partition in 1947 was around 12 per cent. After Partition, some Bengali Muslims from West Bengal emigrated to East Pakistan (present-day-Bangladesh). However, the Muslim population of several West Bengal districts did grow between the decade of 1941-1951, despite the migration of two-thirds of a million people, to erstwhile East Pakistan.
Bengal and Tamil Nadu on Owaisi s mind even as AIMIM looks at Karnataka next
Bengal and Tamil Nadu on Owaisi s mind even as AIMIM looks at Karnataka next
After his party, AIMIM, opening its account in municipal elections in three towns in Gujarat, Owaisi is in no mood to maintain social distancing from the assembly polls in Tamil Nadu and Bengal this summer.
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All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi. (Photo: PTI)
Exactly five years ago, lyricist and then Rajya Sabha MP
Javed Akhtar had labelled Asaduddin Owaisi as a Hyderabad ke mohalle ka leader who thinks he is a national leader . In 2021, with victories in Maharashtra and Bihar polls under his belt, Owaisi is anything but a Charminar and Chandrayangutta leader.
Assam election: Sushmita Dev has not resigned from the party, the Congress said
Guwahati:
The Congress in Assam today denied reports of its leader Sushmita Dev resigning from the party after she reportedly walked out of a meeting on seat-sharing for the state election. It has been brought to the notice of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee that speculative news about resignation of President, All India Mahila Congress Sushmita Dev is doing the rounds on television and web portals. We want to make it clear that Sushmita Dev has not resigned from the party, Congress spokesperson Bobbeeta Sharma said in a statement.
Assam Elections: BJP Faces Uphill Task In Realising Its Goal Of Hundred Plus Seats swarajyamag.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from swarajyamag.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.