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The saffron Muslim

Soroor Ahmed in Patna

A cuckoo in a crow's nest!

For the second time, Syed Shahnawaz Hussain is the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate from the Muslim-dominated Kishanganj constituency in north-eastern Bihar. And the man he is taking on is Taslimuddin of the Rashtriya Janata Dal.

This prestigious seat has seen the election of editor M J Akbar in 1989 and former diplomat turned editor of Muslim India, Syed Shahabuddin in 1991. In the 1996 and 1998 elections, former Union minister of state for home Taslimuddin won.

Shahnawaz stood third the last time. But the fact that he managed to get more than 230,000 votes has encouraged him to try his luck again. Though Taslimuddin worsted Maulana Asrar-ul-Haque of the Samajwadi Party by a slender margin of 6,488 votes, the gap between the latter and Shahnawaz was just four votes.

The 31-year old BJP nominee is quite sanguine. He says he will make it to Parliament yet. The fact that Maulana Haque is no more in the fray may make the task tougher for him. The Maulana's absence could facilitate Taslimuddin's smooth sailing as Muslim votes, which form around 62 per cent (about 700,000), would not be divided. Sure of Hindu votes, which are around 450,000, Shahnawaz is hopeful that more Muslims would vote him this time. He expects 20 per cent Muslim votes in the BJP's favour.

Shahnawaz is one of the four Muslims whom the Hindutva party has thrown into the electoral battle. Hailing from Supaul district of north Bihar, the son of a retired school teacher, he joined the party in 1985 when its popularity was at its lowest. His relatives did not approve of his decision, but he stood loyal to the party all through the tumultuous years of 1989 to 1993.

He says his presence in the party was "for bridging the gap between the Hindus and Muslims." He does not consider the BJP a communal outfit and said his stand was vindicated the day secularists like Sharad Yadav and Ram Vilas Paswan showed their eagerness to join the National Democratic Alliance.

As national secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, Shahnawaz is considered close to Union Minister Uma Bharti. If the BJP wins, it will be a great morale booster and symbolic victory for it, as it was Kishanganj that sent Syed Shahabuddin to Parliament in 1991.

The BJP leadership fully realises the significance of the seat. And hence, a galaxy of BJP leaders including Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, party chief Shashikant 'Kushabhau' Thakre and cine stars Shatrughan Sinha and Vinod Khanna are expected to come down to this sleepy town tucked away between the border with Nepal and that with West Bengal.

Shahnawaz had requested superstar Salman Khan to canvass for him. He said Khan had assured him he would turn up for his sake, if not for the BJP.

Local people have started realising that the constituency is heading for a battle royale. "Though it is too early, the mood reminds us of the visit by Rajiv Gandhi during the 1989 election for Akbar. He pumped a huge sum of money for the campaign. But this time it does not seem the visit of top leaders would benefit Shahnawaz," said Mohammad Sabir, a young schoolteacher who hails from Padampur village.

It is not that Taslimuddin is an ideal choice for Muslim voters. But still, he enjoys an edge as Muslims have not made up their mind to vote for the BJP. Yet there are some who would prefer the young and energetic Shahnawaz over the controversial Taslimuddin, who had to resign as minister of state in the Deve Gowda government after unsavoury allegations against him surfaced.

Perhaps appreciating the fear of the Muslims, the BJP candidate has tried to underplay the issue of Bangladeshi infiltrators which is often raised by the party. He feels it could be checked if the government provided identity cards to Indian citizens besides providing work-cards to non-Indians.

The father of two children, Shahnawaz has a diploma in electronic engineering from Delhi. His wife is a teacher in a central school.

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