BJP-RLD Alliance Actively Working?
As strategies take shape for the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party appears to be adopting a calculated approach toward Muslim-majority seats in western UP, a source says. Political strategists note that while the party rarely fields Muslim candidates directly on its official symbol, its alliance with the Rashtriya Lok Dal provides a structured platform to engage non-traditional voter segments without diluting its core ideological stance, the source adds. In several constituencies across western Uttar Pradesh, substantial concentrations of Muslim voters have historically favored the Samajwadi Party, often leading to decisive victories for SP candidates due to electoral inaction or fragmented opposition votes.
To break SP’s dominance in these pockets, coalition strategists are evaluating customized regional plans, a source says. Recent developments have centered on Indian cricketer Mohammed Shami, who met RLD chief and Union Minister Jayant Chaudhary in Delhi. While officially described as a courtesy meeting, with discussions touching upon sports infrastructure and potential MP development grants for Shami’s home district of Amroha, sources say intense political speculation has followed.
Sources indicate that the coalition is considering pitching a high-profile, non-traditional candidate from the Amroha Assembly constituency to challenge the SP's entrenched presence. Under seat-sharing discussions, RLD has eyed key seats in the district, including Amroha and Naugawan Sadat. If an agreement is finalized, talks suggest that either Shami himself or his elder brother, Mohammed Haseeb, who manages their local family affairs and has long harbored political aspirations, could contest from Amroha under the RLD ticket. Demographically, the Amroha Assembly seat has approximately 3.25 lakh total voters, of whom roughly 2 lakh are Muslim. Within this population, Turk Muslims constitute a pivotal block of around 70,000 voters, a community to which Shami belongs.
The seat has turned into an SP stronghold, held continuously since 2002 by senior leader Mehboob Ali. With Shami currently away from international cricket duties, political observers view his potential candidacy or his family’s formal political entry, as a calculated attempt by the BJP-RLD alliance to disrupt established voting patterns in one of western UP's most toughly contested strongholds, the source says.
