Muslim groups in Kerala urged the Election Commission to postpone the Lok Sabha elections scheduled for April 26, which falls on Friday, a sacred day for the community.
Muslim leaders stated that holding elections on Friday, in Kerala would cause inconvenience to Muslim voters, election officials, and polling agents.
Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama, a prominent organisation of Muslim clerics in Kerala, expressed concerns that Friday polls would trouble officials on duty and could affect Muslim voters’ turnout.
The organisation’s president, Syed Muhammad Jifri Muthukkoya, and General Secretary K Alikutty Musaliyar have appealed to the Central Election Commission to postpone the polling scheduled for April 26 through a letter.
“Jumu’ah is a worship that must be performed by the entire population of a region,” Samastha said in a statement.
Their students’ wing, Samastha Kerala Sunni Students Federation (SKSSF) has also expressed discontent over holding the election on Friday.
SKSSF state secretariat said that conducting elections on Friday might pose a difficulty for voters, party agents and officials who would want to participate in the congregatory prayers.
“Friday is Jumu’ah, a day when Muslims gather in mosques. It would be difficult to vote on this day in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. We have brought this to the attention of the Election Commission,” PMA Salam, IUML ( Indian Union Muslim League) state general secretary said.
P N Abdul Latheef Madani, state president of the Wisdom Islamic Organisation, called all secular forces to collectively pressure the poll panel to change the date of elections in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, citing inconvenience of believers.
