Rather, saints have been fielded on three Muslim dominated seats. Leaders of the saffron party said it is being seen as an attempt at polarisation, which is expected to benefit the BJP in the long run. In Pokhran, during the last assembly elections, only 872 votes had won. But this time a Hindu saint has been pitted against the son of a Muslim religious leader.
Current Congress MLA Saleh Mohammad believes that people will not vote on religious basis but for their development works. He is hoping to reduce the anti-incumbency trend in the seat.
Pokhran is estimated to have around 2.22 lakh voters, most of them Muslims or Rajputs. There are around 60,000 Muslims, 40,000 Rajputs, 35,000 SC/ST, 10,000 Jats, 6,000 Bishnois, 5,000 Malis and 3,000 Brahmin voters. Local issues and leaders’ personal relationships with people over the past five years may also play an important role.
