Aggressively wooing Muslim voters, the DMK on Friday allotted five constituencies to the Manithaneya Makkal Katchi (MMK). Just days ago, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), a traditional partner of the DMK, was given an equal number of seats.
However, some sections among Muslims feel that the DMK may be underestimating its own base in the community and was unnecessarily providing space for smaller groups.
In the 2011 Assembly elections, the AIADMK allotted three seats to the MMK of which the party won two. In the DMK front, the IUML was also given three seats, all of which the party lost.
Sources in the DMK said the situation was quite different from 2011.
“Frankly, we don’t have too many partners this time. So, we have more seats to give. Even then, we have only given two more than 2011,” said a spokesperson.
In the past, Muslims traditionally identified themselves with the DMK, given prominent faces like Sadiq Pasha, who was once the treasurer, Nagoor E.M. Hanifa and former Minister A. Rahman Khan.
DMK president M. Karunanidhi maintained close relationship with IUML stalwart Muhammad Ismail, popularly known as Quaid-e-Milleth.
Muslim historian Kombai S. Anwar says that the community votes with the mainstream parties.
“If you take constituencies with a high Muslim population, you will see that the major Dravidian parties get substantially more votes than what candidates of these smaller groups get when they contest on their own. The DMK should understand this crucial aspect,” he adds.
For example, in Mayiladuthurai and Ramanathapuram, constituencies with a large Muslim voter base, the MMK polled just 19,814 and 21,439 votes respectively when they contested alone in the 2009 parliamentary elections. Mr. Anwar says this could be less than 10 per cent of the Muslim voter population in the two seats.
As per the 2011 Census, the State’s Muslim population is 5.86 per cent.
However, MMK president M.H. Jawahirullah disagrees with the reading. “Since 2009, we have expanded in a major way across Tamil Nadu. In 2011 local bodies polls, we contested alone and won in over 200 places. What has been given is proportional to our growing strength,” he states.
Even in 2009, he adds that the MMK cornered four per cent of the votes polled in the constituencies it contested. “This was a big achievement for a young party,” he says.
If you take constituencies with a high Muslim population, you will see that the major Dravidian parties get substantially more votes than these smaller groups.
Kombai S. Anwar
Muslim historian
The Dravidian major has given five seats each to MMK and IUML
