Shias seek tickets for civic elections, else warn to press NOTA

Shia Muslim groups have warned that they will boycott the municipal body elections or press the NOTA (none of the above) button if parties fail to nominate candidates from the community.

- Manoj Ramakrishnan

The warning was issued during a meeting held in Govandi on Friday, where several organisations and community representatives gathered to highlight "decades of political underrepresentation".

The meeting focused on longstanding concerns and the absence of Shia voices in electoral politics, particularly in the BMC. Arif Abbas Sayyed, general secretary of the Mumbai Youth Congress and president of the Govandi Shia Youth Brigade, reiterated that despite a large Shia population in Mumbai, parties have not offered the community any representation. He said he estimated Mumbai's Shia population to be nearly two million and called the lack of political inclusion "clear injustice."