NEW DELHI: Data from the Today's Chanakya exit poll, released on Thursday, predicts that the
Congress will bag 81 per cent of the Muslim votes in Gujarat.
The voting pattern among Muslims followed the general voting trend in the state. There was a decline of 3.58 percent in voting by the community, as compared to the 3.61 percent drop in general polling.
Overall, Muslim votes came down to 68.59 per cent this time, a drop from 72.17 percent in the previous Assembly election.
The community, which constitutes 9.67 per cent of the population in the state, seemed to have become almost invisible this election season. However, Muslims remains
significant in 30 out of the total 182 assembly seats in the state.
Before the election, there was no clear indication as to which way the
Muslim vote will go. The community itself admitted that Muslims were being cautious about revealing their electoral pick.
The
2002 riots, once a polarising issue, were seemingly a non-issue in these polls.
Instead, female workers of the
BJP's minority cell were trying to woo Muslim women, by attempting to unite them against triple talaq.
Interestingly, this election saw the Congress maintain silence on issues that could have potentially caused a Hindu-Muslim conflict.
In pre-poll interactions, the community lamented that it was all about the "Hindu vote" this election season.
