A group of Muslim leaders from Muslim dominated Jamalpur – Khadia assembly seat in Ahmedabad has written a letter to party’s national vice president Rahul Gandhi requesting that party ticket for this seat must not be allotted to former Congress MLA Sabir Kabliwala this time. If party would allot him a ticket, party workers would be unhappy.

Congress leader Badruddin Sheikh is among those who have signed this letter, copy of which is attached to this article.

Congress leaders have in this letter led attention of Rahul Gandhi that Sabir Kabliwala had contested as rebel independent candidate in last assembly polls. His candidature resulted in to division of Muslim votes and therefore Congress lost the seat against rival BJP candidate.

Congress leaders in this letter reminded Rahul Gandhi his words at recently held Samvad programme on Sabarmati riverfront that parachute candidate and those who worked against party would not be given ticket this time.

Meanwhile in response to such move, Sabir Kabliwala told media persons that those who wrote such letter were behaving like ‘B’ team of ruling Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP).

Kabliwala said: In 2012 assembly polls, then Congress leader Shankersinh Vaghela acted like ‘B’ team of BJP. He wanted his relative Balwantsinh Rajput to contest from Siddhpur assembly seat in North Gujarat. Congress party’s ticket seeker for Siddhpur seat Vazirkhan Patan was therefore given Jamalpur seat ticket. Vazirkhan was ready to accept Jamalpur ticket as this was considered a safe seat for Congress. On eve of last date of filing nomination, I was conveyed over a phone call by party at 11.00 pm that I would get mandate next morning. I didn’t receive mandate next morning and Vazirkhan showed that he actually had received party’s mandate. I was told that I would get mandate at Collector office itself. Knowing that party had chosen to field someone else, my supporters started stone pelting and broke glasses of a bus. I asked them not to do so, but they were very angry. Under their pressure I had to go to collector office. I filed nomination as Congress candidate and also as independent candidate. I thought Congress would finally select me, but that didn’t happen. Therefore under pressure of my supporters I had to contest as independent.

Jamalpur is one of few seats in Gujarat where a Muslim candidate can win. The assembly seat area has sizable voters from Chhipa community. Chhipas are into textile work and they speak Rajasthani language. Kabliwala is from Chhipa community. As Congress didn’t field  a Chhipa community candidate in 2012 election, Kabliwana fought the poll as independent. Good chunk of Chhipa community vote went to him, while non-Chhipa Muslim candidate Vazirkhan got votes of Muslims other than Chhipa Muslims. Due to division in Muslim votes, rival BJP candidate Bhushan Bhatt ‘miraculously’ won the election. Bhushan is son of late assembly speaker and minister Ashok Bhatt. Khadia Jamalpur is mixture of Khadia – a Hindu majority area and Jamalpur – a Muslim majority area along with some Dalit Hindu slum dwellers.

Prior to new delimitation which was effective in 2012, Khadia and Jamalpur were separate assembly seats. Kabliwala was MLA of Jamalpur seat in those years while Bhatt was Khadia MLA.

It’s worth mentioning that for 182 assembly seats in Gujarat, the Congress party as per its own claim has received 1500 applications for party ticket. Parties like NCP and Shankersinh Vaghela’s Jan Vikalp are eying to attract Congress rebels the fight the polls under their banners.