'BJP's win in UP due to split in Muslim votes'

New Delhi, Nov 9: All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat President Syed Shahabuddin today blamed the division of the Muslim and other secular votes between the ruling Samajwadi Party, the Congress and the Muslim independents for the Bharatiya Janata Party's good showing in the recent municipal elections in Uttar Pradesh.

He said in a statement that the party had anticipated this division and cautioned the Muslim community and the secular parties that the main beneficiary of any division would be the BJP.

Mr Shahabuddin reiterated the appeal to secular parties to close ranks for the coming assembly polls by reaching an electoral understanding and fielding a joint candidate in the Muslim concentrated areas to block the BJP's return to power in the state.

However, Janata Party President Subramanian Swamy, reacting to the poll results, attributed the BJP's remarkable performance to the successful strategy of the Sangh Parivar and those who rejected the "appeasement" policies of the Congress-led government at the Centre.

In a party release here, he claimed that even Muslim voters had abandoned the Congress Party in its strongholds of Rae Bareli and Amethi, disillusioned by the party policies.

UNI