Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Lok Sabha Polls 2024: BJP’s Muslim candidate faces challenges in Kerala’s Malappuram constituency

On the day of Eid, when people gave him angry looks at a mosque as he went around greeting people after offering namaz, BJP’s only Muslim candidate in the country, M Abdul Salam, was crestfallen. One person even refused to shake hands as a mark of disapproval of his joining the saffron party.
“I never had such a bad experience,” said the 71-year-old former vice chancellor of Calicut University, who swears by the Modi model of development.

In a constituency of 4 million people where 70% are Muslims, and where the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) is the dominant political force, Salam started feeling unwelcome in his early days of campaigning. Unfazed, the agriculture scientist with specialisation in cashew research, went about his job, highlighting Modi’s programmes and India’s progress over the past 10 years.

“Initially I had a lost feeling, but now I feel my graph is gradually going up,” the BJP candidate told ET in Malappuram, reposing his faith in women, educated youth and those Muslims dissatisfied with the report card of other parties. “Many Muslims are not aware of the good programmes of Modi ji because of the false propaganda of the UDF and LDF. But I could see that the Modi ji model of development agenda has reached the grassroots with many houses benefitted by three to six programmes.”

Salam, locked in a contest with ET Mohammed Basheer (IUML) and V Vaseef (CPM), said he got a dose of confidence when a 40-year-old Muslim woman joined the BJP in his presence. The woman told him that she has a 20-year-old daughter and that with triple talaq outlawed, her daughter was safe now, Salam said. She, according to him, also told him that only Modi could bring the uniform civil code which would establish the rights of Muslim women over inheritance of family property.Salam is confident the BJP’s vote share would see a jump this time due to the Modi factor. “Muslim women are happy with Modi as his action on triple talaq has boosted their confidence. They respect him in their hearts, but cannot express it openly as they live in a closed ecosystem with limited gender equality,” he said, adding: “The PM wants to bring Muslims to the mainstream and make them beneficiaries of a New India.”