“Selection of winnable candidates is based on many criteria including local workers and leaders' recommendations. If they do not find any suitable or winnable one, how can the party go against their recommendations?” Lakhawat told PTI.
In last year's assembly polls having 200 seats, BJP had fielded four Muslim candidates, of which two won; Yunus Khan and Habibur Rehman, he said.
While Congress had fielded many Muslims in assembly polls, no one could win and come to the assembly, he added.
Samajwadi Party has fielded two candidates from the minority community out of the five contestants it has put up this time. The SP candidates are Ayub Khan from Nagaur and Mohd Ajmeri from Rajsamand.
Interestingly, 11 out of 25 Lok Sabha constituencies has Muslim population from 11 to 17 per cent, especially in Barmer, Nagaur, Bharatpur, Kota, Sikar, Jodhpur, Churu, Sawaimadhopur, Ajmer, and Alwar.
However, the Election Commission data does not mention any separate figures for Muslims.
National Secretary of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind Mohammed Saleem Engineer says as per the Muslim population of 11 per cent, at least three persons should be given Lok Sabha tickets by both Congress and BJP.
