Wed Nov 19 22:26:00 UTC 2025: News Article:

Mumbai Shia Community Threatens NOTA Vote Over Lack of Representation in Upcoming BMC Elections

Mumbai, November 20, 2025 (The Hindu e-Paper) – With local elections on the horizon, the Shia Muslim community in Mumbai is demanding political representation in the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections. Community leaders are warning secular political parties that they will collectively vote NOTA (None of the Above) in Shia-majority areas if no Shia candidate is granted a ticket.

Arif Sayyed, president of a Shia community group, emphasized that Mumbai is home to roughly 20 lakh Shia Muslims, yet no secular party has ever granted representation to the community in the Mumbai Municipal Corporation. According to Sayyed, no major party has fielded a Shia candidate since the 1980s, and it is time to give a Shia candidate a ticket from Ward 139.

The Mumbai Shia Youth Brigade has also written to all political parties, raising concerns regarding civic and religious matters and echoing the threat to boycott the elections if their demands are ignored. The community also reiterated its request for the allocation of land for a Karbala, essential for Muharram rituals and religious practices.

Bombay High Court lawyer Abid Sayyed stated that whichever political party addresses the demand for a Karbala will receive the full support of the Shia community in the elections. A meeting was held on November 13, 2025, to discuss the issue of political representation.

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