 "Elections, vote, polling, voting")
The RSS' Muslim wing has begun a door-to-door contact programme to garner the support of the minority community in favour of the BJP in Uttarakhand's 22 Assembly constituencies which have a high concentration of Muslim voters.
The Muslim Rashtriya Manch (MRM), an affiliate of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), has also lined up a series of meetings with Muslim clerics, scholars and others from the community in these constituencies in Haridwar, Udham Singh Nagar and Dehradun districts.
Senior RSS leader and founder of the MRM, Indresh Kumar, presided over a meeting with the minority community members in Sitarganj on Sunday.
"He was present at two such meetings in Kashipur and Khatima on Saturday and one meeting in Rudrapur the day before," MRM national convenor and media in-charge Shahid Sayeed told PTI.
He claimed that Muslims, with a 14 per cent vote share, hold the key in 22 Assembly constituencies of which 10 are in Haridwar, nine in Udham Singh Nagar and three Dehradun.
"These constituencies have a high concentration of Muslim voters. The political atmosphere in Udham Singh Nagar district of Uttarakhand will have its impact in adjacent Rampur, Moradabad, Bijnor and Bareli districts of Uttar Pradesh," Sayeed said.
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A series of meetings with Muslim clerics, scholars and other eminent persons from the community has been planned in these districts, he said, adding Indresh Kumar is expected to preside over three such meetings in Roorkee, Piran Kaliyar and Bhagwanpur on February 4.
To reach out to the Muslim voters, particularly women, the Muslim Rashtriya Manch has started a door-to-door contact programme in three districts, he said.
"Our women's wing is spearheading the door-to-door contact programme. They are reaching out to the members of the community in small groups to convey the message -- 'Modi-Dhami' government is better for the future of (Muslim) women and children," Sayeed said.
They are also distributing the MRM's 'Nivedan Patra' which have listed the measures taken by the Modi dispensation and the BJP government in Uttarakhand for the welfare of the Muslim community, he said.
"We are getting a good response as the BJP governments, both at the centre and the states, have taken many measures for the welfare and empowerment of the Muslims," Sayeed.
"Muslim women have voted for the BJP in previous elections as the Modi government freed them from the pain of triple talaq by criminalising the age-old practice. Raising the age of the marriage of women is a step to empower Muslim women and their families further," he added.
Uttarakhand will go to polls on February 14 while counting of votes will take place on March 10.
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