Speaking at a meeting, the Union minister, Shantanu Thakur — he heads the faction among Matuas that favours the Bharatiya Janata Party — stated that the names of nearly one lakh Matuas could be excluded from the electoral rolls. This, Mr Thakur argued, was necessary to disenfranchise 50 lakh Muslims. What appears to be an attempt by the BJP minister to assuage the concerns of an electoral bloc could, however, backfire. If that were to happen, an electoral backlash against the saffron party on part of the Matuas cannot be ruled out. This, in turn, could dent the BJP’s electoral prospects in the assembly election that is on the horizon.

Source: The Telegraph December 25, 2025 02:13 UTC