Muradabad: BJP Secures Historic Win in Muslim-Dominated Kundarki, Yogi's 'Katenge To Batenge' Worked?
In a landmark win, BJP's Ramveer Thakur captured the Muslim-majority Kundarki seat in Muradabad with 1.11 lakh votes. The victory ended a 31-year losing streak for the BJP, credited to CM Yogi Adityanath’s leadership and extensive minority outreach. By engaging directly with Muslim voters and avoiding divisive rhetoric, the BJP overturned traditional voting patterns, signaling the success of its development-focused strategy.
Muradabad: The BJP is said to have won Kundarki historically, considered a Muslim-majority seat in Uttar Pradesh's Muradabad district. Kundarki, with 60% Muslim and 40% Hindu voters, had remained out of BJP's grasp for 31 years. This time, BJP candidate Ramveer Thakur gathered 1.11 lakh votes out of the 1.37 lakh counted and left the opposition reeling in dismay as the Muslim voters also supported the BJP at every booth.
Campaign on Minority Outreach
The campaign of the BJP in Kundarki had a paradigm shift. Unlike the polarizing slogans "Katenge to Batenge", the party worked directly with minority communities instead. The minority cell of the BJP was doing door-to-door and small meetings in Muslim-dominated areas, which was a breaking of the traditional voting pattern there.
Ramveer Thakur's appeal
Ramveer Thakur, sporting a skull cap while he was campaigning, reached out aggressively to the electorate by promising, "Give me a chance for two and a half years. If I deliver, re-elect me; if not, vote me out." The message had enough impact on the voters, which paved the way for this unprecedented win.
Yogi Adityanath's Leadership
Victory is also attributed to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who personally led the campaign in Kundarki. The thrust of development and a inclusive outreach strategy appears to have played a significant role in this overturning of decades of political trend in this seat.
This win is seen as one of the major breakthroughs for the BJP, which demonstrates the successful minority outreach and development-centric discourse by the BJP in Muslim major constituencies.
