Majority of Muslim MLAs in Bihar are young, highly educated

Patna: Majority of the 19 Muslim candidates including two women who got elected in the recently held Bihar Assembly election 2010, are new faces, young and highly educated. The average age of the newly elected 19 Muslim MLAs is 45 years. Only five of the 15 Muslim MLAs in the last assembly could win.

Though most of the sitting Muslim MLAs failed to get reelected, this time the number of Muslim legislators has increased from 15 to 19. Of them, seven are from the JD-U, six from the RJD, two from LJP, three from the Congress and one from BJP.

Of 19 only 5 are at or above 50 years of age while 11 are between 40-49 years age group and rest three are in the age group of 30-40 years. It reflects the fact that young Muslims are getting interested to enter politics, which can be described as a good sign.

Age-wise

The oldest among them is Bihar RJD chief Abdul Bari Siddiqui (63) who won from Alinagar constituency this time while in 2005 assembly election he was elected from Bahera constituency.

Razia Khatoon of JDU who got elected from Kalyanpur is 57-yrs-old while Md. Afaque Alam of Congress who won from Kasba and Parveen Amanullah of JDU who succeeded from Sahebpur Kamal are of the same age of 52 years.

Shahid Ali Khan, who was minister in the last Nitish government and is also in the new government, is 50-yrs-old. This time he got a tough victory from Sursand while in 2005 he was elected from Pupri.

Dr. Izhar Ahmad of JDU who won from Gora Bauram is 49-yrs-old followed by Sharfuddin (48) of the same party who has been elected from Sheohar. Dr. Faiyaj Ahmad of RJD who won from Bisfi is 47-yrs-old followed by Javed Iqbal Ansari (46) of the same party who got elected from Banka.

Interestingly, five elected Muslim legislators are of the same age of 45 years. They are Dr Mohammad Jawaid (Cong) who won from Kishanganj, Dr Abdul Gafoor (RJD) who won from Mahishi, Akhatarul Iman (RJD) who won from Kochadhaman, Zakir Hussain Khan (LJP) who won from Araria and Dr. Daud Ali (JDU) who won Dumraon.

Both Sarfraz Alam (JDU) who has been elected from Jokihat and Naushad Alam (LJP) who got elected from Thakurganj are 41-yrs-old while Saba Zafar (BJP) who won from Amour is 37-yrs-old.

Similarly, the youngest among 19 successful Muslim candidates are two-- Mohammad Tousif Alam (Cong) who won from Bahadurganj and Akhtarul Islam Shahin (RJD) who won from Samastipur. They are just 31.

Education-wise

If you look at the educational qualification of these 19 newly elected Muslim MLAs, you will feel quite satisfied as all of them are educated; most of them are highly educated. Among them are doctors, LLB and Ph.D. degree holders and also postgraduates.

Dr Mohammad Jawaid is MBBS from Government Medical College of Kashmir University while Dr. Daud Ali is D.H.M.S. from D.H Medical College Danapur.

As Shahid Ali Khan is LLB degree holder from B.B. R. Ambedkar University, Muzaffarpur, Dr. Izhar Ahmad also has LLB and PhD degrees from Patna and Magadh Universities respectively.

Dr. Faiyaj Ahmad got MA and Ph.D. degrees from Lalit Narayan Mithila University, Darbhanga, Dr Abdul Gafoor also got both degrees--MA and PhD-- from Patna University. Similarly, Javed Iqbal Ansari is also PhD degree holder from Ranchi University.

While Akhatarul Iman and Md. Afaque Alam are MA degree holders, Saba Zafar, Naushad Alam, Zakir Hussain Khan, Sarfraz Alam and Parveen Amanullah are graduates.

Abdul Bari Siddiqui did ISc from AN College, Patna and Akhtarul Islam Shahin did the same from MHKG College Samastipur.

Razia Khatoon is Matriculate from S.V. High Scholl Jahingra East Champaran.

Two among them have got just Madarsa education. Mohammad Tousif Alam and Sharfuddin have mentioned only Madarsa education in the column of education qualification.

Wealth-wise

According to the financial details the candidates provided to the Election Commission in affidavits, 15 of the 19 Muslim MLAs are lakhpati if one goes by their cash amount in hands or bank accounts.

In this category Shahid Ali Khan (JDU) is on the top with Rs.70500 in cash and Rs. 600117 in bank account followed by Dr. Faiyaz Ahmad (RJD) who has Rs.47500 in possession and Rs.614469 in bank account.

There are three more who possess above three lakh amount in cash or bank accounts. They are Sarfraz Alam (JDU) (Rs.422662 in cash and Rs.89337 in bank account), Dr Mohammad Jawaid (Cong) (Rs.32500 in cash and Rs.348474 in bank account) and Akhatarul Iman (RJD) (Rs.300000 in cash and Rs.245001 in bank account).

Similarly, there are two MLAs who have more than Rs 2 lakh in their possession as Mohammad Tousif Alam (Cong) has Rs.50000 and Rs.203446 in bank account and Parveen Amanullah (JDU) has Rs.36000 in cash and Rs.200000 in bank account.

There are eight who possess the amount between one lakh to two lakh. They are Zakir Hussain Khan (LJP) has Rs. 125000 in cash and Rs.49908 in bank account, Javed Iqbal Ansari (RJD) has Rs. 46462 in cash and 121166 in bank account, Dr. Izhar Ahmad (JDU) has Rs.1, 25000 in cash and Rs.26082 in bank account, Sharfuddin (JDU) has Rs.125000 in cash and Rs. 213328 in bank account, Abdul Bari Siddiqui (RJD) has Rs. 44 330 in cash and Rs.76165 in bank account, Naushad Alam (LJP) has Rs. 25000 in cash and Rs. 1,00000 in bank account, Akhtarul Islam Sahin (RJD) has Rs.60000 and 55000 in bank account and Md. Afaque Alam (CONG) has Rs.50000 in hand and 50000 in bank account.

On the other hand there are three who have below Rs one lakh in cash or account. Saba Zafar (BJP) is poorest among all with Rs.25000 in cash and only Rs.2000 in bank account while Dr. Daud Ali (JDU) has Rs.35000 in cash and Rs.40000 in bank account and Dr Abdul Gafoor (RJD) has Rs.10000 and Rs 55000 in bank account.

The wealth details of Razia Khatoon (JDU)--one of the two Muslim women MLAs--are not available.

by Manzar Bilal, TCN
Thursday, 02 December 2010