IS THERE AN INDIAN MUSLIM VOTE?
As the ‘Great Indian Election Jamboree 2009’ draws to a close and everyone waits with bated breath for the results to come out on May 16, 2009, poll analysts are working overtime to analyze who voted for whom and who will come out trumps. From politicians, political parties and their supporters to the ubiquitous media crews, it has been a tough two months for everyone involved. Campaign tours have been rhetorically charged. On several occasions it was difficult to say what was generating more heat – the election speeches or the torrid summer! As the decibel levels at election rallies and television studios increased, one question that everyone was asking was “who would the Indian Muslim vote for?” This is one question that never ceases to amuse me. In fact it always brings forth a counter question – Is there an Indian Muslim vote? Let me try to answer this one. The ‘Muslim vote’ theory is an extension of a common myth – that the Indian Muslim community is a monolithic block...