After Trinamool, AAP MLA questions Lok Sabha poll schedule, says date clash with Ramzan will help BJP

After the Election Commission announced the schedule for the 2019 parliamentary election on Sunday, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Amanatullah Khan on Sunday took to Twitter and wrote, “May 12 will be the day of Ramzan in Delhi if Muslims vote less, it will directly help the BJP,” said Amanatullah Khan. AAP head and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also took to Twitter and said it was time to throw out the Narendra Modi dispensation, “the most dictatorial and anti-federal” government in the history of India, with the help of the people.

“Ultimately back to ‘We the people’ -- the real power of our democracy. Time to throw out the most dictatorial and anti-federal govt in the history of India. Time to seek answers on demonetisation, jobs, destruction of traders and destroying brotherhood amongst different communities,” Kejriwal said in a tweet.

Earlier, Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader and Kolkata Municipal Corporation Mayor Firhad Hakim said, “People will face problems in exercising their voting rights as some poll dates are clashing with Ramzan. Since the Election Commission is a constitutional body, I don’t want to comment much into the matter. But they should have considered that people will suffer during Ramzan (in casting votes).”

He said, “EC has announced the poll dates on Ramzan so that minorities are unable to cast their votes. But I would like to tell them (the BJP) that the people of Bengal are with (Trinamool chief) Mamata Banerjee.”

The state of West Bengal has nearly 31 per cent Muslim voters and many believe that the dates clashing with Ramzan will become a key issue in Bengal. In Malda and Murshidabad districts alone, the minority voters’ strength is nearly 52 per cent and 66 per cent, respectively.

During the last panchayat election also, party leaders led by minister Partha Chatterjee met West Bengal election commissioner AK Singh and requested him to conclude the rural polls before the month of fasting for the minority community begins.