The Jamiat Ulama Hind Telangana and Andhra Pradesh (Mahmood Madani group) has urged its members and those responsible for managing mosques to encourage Muslims to pledge to vote in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
The Jamiat, which is a socio-religious organisation, and largely comprises Muslim clerics, Islamic scholars, and imams, suggested that khateebs (those who deliver sermons before Friday prayers), as a part of the the pledge, also encourage those who come to pray to ensure that their family members also exercise their right to franchise.
The Jamiat is also scheduled to parallelly embark upon an awareness campaign that seeks to underscore the importance of voting among the electorate across the 33 districts of Telangana. Disseminating information using banners, stickers and media conferences is on the anvil.
The Jamiat, in the recent Telangana assembly elections, had thrown its weight behind the Congress. The body had organised well-attended public meeting across the State, and sought to highlight to political parties in the fray that the Muslim voters of the districts must not be ignored. The Jamiat had contended that the real issues of the Muslims were not masjid paint-jobs or construction of boundary walls, but those connected to education, healthcare, and employment.
