Thu. Mar 28th, 2024
BJP's lone muslim woman candidate, Fatima Siddiqui, daughter of former Congress leader Rasool Siddiqui will be representing the BJP from Bhopal North in MP assembly elections

Fatima Rasool Siddique, daughter of former congress veteran leader Late Rasool Siddique is all set to contest the upcoming Assembly elections in MP.

She is the BJP candidate for the Bhopal (North) Assembly seat which was earlier held by her father, Rasool Siddique during 1980s. He was a two-time Minister during 1980s and 1990s in the Digvijay-led COngress government in Madhya Pradesh. Rasool Ahmed had also registered back-to-back victories in ‘Bhopal North’ in the 1980 and 1985 elections as a Congress candidate.

Now his daughter Fatima, is contesting the elections, however, from a different party. She stands against Arif Aqueel of the Congress who had defeated her father in that seat as an independent candidate in 1990.

Arif Aqueel, who has been representing Congress in North Bhopal since 1998 has turned the constituency into a Congress stronghold, emerging victorious in every assembly election. Aqueel had defeated BJP candidate Arif Baig in 2013 and is looking to continue his dominance in the seat. “The BJP has fielded a ‘novice girl’ against me as they could not find anyone else”, he said, expressing confidence in prevailing over Fatima by a bigger margin than in 2013.

Fatima, who was earlier a Congress member, joined the BJP last Thursday and was offered the ticket the same day.

For, 35-year old Fatima, this was a carefully thought out decision as she had been thinking of joining the saffron party for the past five years and was really influenced by the efforts of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in empowering women in the state.

“I was approached by BJP in the 2013 polls too, but I had some reservations and couldn’t make up my mind on time”, she clarified adding that  “This time around, there was no hesitation, as I have seen the warm-hearted kindness of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan especially towards the girl child”.

However, expressing disappointment in the Congress party, she remarked, “The Congress of the past no longer exists in any case. Where are the leaders like Shyama Charan Shukla”.  Fatima had lost her father when she was just a child was perhaps neglected by the Congress as she was denied of carrying her father’s legacy.

Fatima is confident and hopeful of winning this time and wants to make Muslim women self-reliant, which is need of the hour in the state.

This decision of  BJP has clearly upset other leaders as they feel that their chance of getting ticket has been marred.

However, BJP legislator Alok Sanjar believes that Fatima is a good choice as she is popular among the youth, adding that she will be able to bring in traditional Congress voters from the constituency in her favour. He further said that all BJP workers and voters are backing her for prevailing over Aqueel in the constituency.
At the time of 2013 general elections, the BJP had given the ticket to Muslim candidate Arif Baig from this constituency but he could not win from there.

CM ShivRaj Singh Chouhan had even accompanied her to the Collectorate as she filed her nomination papers.

Ms. Siddique said that people still remember her father’s work stating, “Most people walk up to me and say how my father had helped them as Minister with jobs, water pumps, hospital admissions, etc”.

She has expressed confidence in overthrowing Aqueel from power, saying that apart from the traditional BJP voters in the city, all Muslim votes will also be in her favour.

The state elections in Madhya Pradesh to elect the new 230-member assembly will be held on November 28, 2018.

By fatima

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