THE TIMES OF INDIA
As Separatism loses it’s luster, Muslim League candidates face tough challenges from Congress candidates
Sowmya Aji | TNN | April 28th, 2018, 12:19 IST
The Muzaffargarh constituency, since 1952, has been staunchly AIML, however, there is a possibility that this might change. Malik Sultan Mehmood Hanjra, who won in 2012 by a margin of 86% and in 2016 by a margin of 80% is now facing a tougher challenge from his Congress opponent, Mohammad Mohsin Ali Qurishi, with polls showing Qurishi only 20% behind, a worrying site for Hanjra and his supporters. “For the past sixty years, Muslim League candidates have been talking about a separate Muslim state, yet today there has been no Muslim state” a worker for the Congress Party in Hanjra's constituency tells reporters “The Muslim League’s message of a separate Muslim state has been worn-out by now. Voters want change, they see that the AIML has not been delivering on their one single promise. Besides, what does the Muslim League have to offer other than a Muslim state?”. Indeed, this is a question being asked throughout India, as many other Muslim League candidates are facing similar challenges.
A lack of substance is not the only thing hurting the Muslim League, though. A series of scandals, starting from Manzoor Wattoo resigning as Chief Minister of West Punjab after corruption allegations began to come out to multiple Muslim League politicians forcing to resign after Shariffellow, in which Steel magnate Abbas Sharif offered bribes to multiple Muslim League politicians, most of which accepted. These series of scandals hurt the Muslim League’s image, and the Congress Party party, which is one of the few parties that can challenge the Muslim League in their areas of strength, is hoping to exploit the broken image of the Muslim League.
However, it isn’t only in the Western provinces in which the Muslim League is losing support. In East Bengal, the Muslim League has been declining in support since the 1999 election. Rowshan Ershad, one of the most powerful leaders in the Muslim League in East Bengal, is currently trailing behind her Congress opponent by two points. If she loses it will be a devastating blow to the Muslim League in East Bengal, a blow which they might not recover from.
Even if all the Muslim League candidates win, it is no denying that the Congress party did better in Muslim League strongholds than they did two years ago. As Congress party rallies in places like Rawalpindi, Lahore and Dhaka are getting bigger and bigger more and more are MPs campaigning to retain their seat. As I am typing this a meeting of top Muslim League leaders from both the West and the East is taking place, talking about how to reverse these gains from Congress, and when on election day they will get the same 60+ landslides they have enjoyed for the last 60+ years...