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Muslim MPs’ LS share dips, will 2019 be different? (Dangal 2019)
New Delhi, March 10 (IANS) As the battle for Lok Sabha 2019 gathers steam, the falling representation of Muslims in Lok Sabha has been one of the areas of concern as the House is a representation of the country’s social fabric.
It remains to be seen how many Muslim leaders are fielded in the polls and how many of them get elected. But if the outcome of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections is taken into account, one can not expect a huge change in 2019.
In 2014, only 23 Muslim leaders got elected mainly from six states of West Bengal (8), Bihar (4), Kerala (3), Jammu and Kashmir (3), Assam (2) and Andhra Pradesh (1). Union territory of Lakshadweep also elected a Muslim MP.
A wider look at the canvass shows that 53 Muslim leaders ended up as runners up in 2014. Ghulam Raza, an independent lost to Thupstan Chhewang of the BJP from Ladakh with a margin of only 36 votes.
Hamidullah Sayeed of the Congress lost the Lakshaddweep seat to Mohammed Faizal by only 1,535 votes. Adv A.N Shamseer of CPI (M) lost from Vadakara constituency in Kerala to Mullappally Ramachandran of the Congress by only 3,306 votes and Dr Shafiq Ur Rahman Baraq of Samajwadi Party lost the Sambhal seat to Satyapal Singh of the BJP by 5,174 votes. Barring these seats, all the Muslim leaders lost by wide margins.
Another notable aspect of the previous election was that nine of the Muslim leaders lost to Muslims candidates only while on the rest of the seats, the winners were all non-Muslims.
Uttar Pradesh had the highest number of Muslim runner up (19) followed by West Bengal which had nine followed by five in Bihar.
Md. Salim of CPI (M) won Raiganj seat in West Bengal with only 1356 votes. Aparupa Poddar (Afrin Ali) of Trinamool Congress was the Muslim winner with highest margin of 346,845 votes from Arambagh in West Bengal.
According to the census of 2011, the Muslim population in the country is 17.2 crore but their representation in Lok Sabha has been well below 10 per cent. The highest representation of Muslims in Lok Sabha has been in 1980 when 49 leaders were elected.
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.