Ticket seekers from the minority community have demanded at least 14 tickets from the Congress in the Gujarat Assembly election scheduled to be held on December 11 and 16.
The demand has brought the Congress under pressure as the minority community voters this year have more options available in the form of Bahujan Samaj Party and New Socialist Movement who have also decided to contest the elections.
"We had put forward a demand before the party leadership that tickets should be given to Muslim candidates in at least 14 constituencies where the population of the community is more than 35 per cent," Gujarat Congress vice-president J V Momin told PTI.
"Representation of the minority community has gone down to just five MLAs from the community at present in the 182-member Assembly," he said.
"Our population is more than 35 per cent in around 14 constituencies, which include Kalupur, Shahpur, Jamalpur, Balasinor, Siddhpur, Mangrole, Bhuj, Abdasa and Vankaner," Momin said.
The community's population is around 14 per cent in the state.
Leaders of the community had met state party president Bharat Solanki and Ahmed Patel, political secretary to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, to put forth their demand.
"Patel has assured us that they will try to give maximum number of tickets to candidates belonging to the minority community," Momin said.
He, however, added, "Looking at the prevailing situation, it is difficult to assume that the Congress will give 14 seats, as demanded by us."
