Maharashtra assembly elections 2024: What is the TISS report about 'vote jihad'?

The Bharatiya Janata Party BJP part of the incumbent Mahayuti alliance has a new narrative just days before Maharashtra goes to the polls on November 20 Itrsquos called lsquovote jihadrsquo and the mainstreaming began with the release of a report last week at a Tata Institute of Social Sciences TISS seminar titled lsquoIllegal Immigrants to Mumbai Analysing Socioeconomic and Political ConsequencesrsquoCity BJP leader Kirit Somaiya spotlighted the report at a November 9 press conference saying it is a larger lsquovote jihadrsquo conspiracy to garner minority votes The next day Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis echoed the lsquovote jihadrsquo in an election rally at Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar formerly AurangabadThe TISS report on lsquovote jihadrsquoTo be sure lsquovote jihadrsquo is not a new slogan It had previously featured in an October rally by Fadnavis where he attributed BJPrsquos underperformance in certain Lok Sabha constituencies to this alleged phenomenon Speaking in Kolhapur last month he stated ldquoIn 14 out of 48 Lok Sabha constituencies in Maharashtra lsquovote jihadrsquo was a factor Hindutva thought needs to awaken if antiHindu leaders are being elected to top positionsrdquoLater on November 5 TISS hosted a national seminar at its Deonar campus to discuss the abovementioned reportrsquos findings bringing together academics policymakers government officials and experts from across India According to the institute the seminar facilitated indepth discussions on socioeconomic issues healthcare and the political impact of illegal immigration in MumbaiProfessor Shantishree Dhulipudi Pandit vicechancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University New Delhi was the chief guest and keynote speaker while Sukh Ram Meena former director general in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare was the guest of honourProfessor Shankar Das pro vicechancellor of TISS and principal investigator of the study along with assistant professor Souvik Mondal the coprincipal Investigator presented the report Das highlighted a significant gap in understanding the realtime impact of illegal immigration on Mumbairsquos socioeconomic and urban landscape He stressed the need for comprehensive policy responses that address these complexities while ensuring stability and securityldquoMumbairsquos population and resource challenges are only part of the storyrdquo he said ldquoWe need a deeper understanding of how illegal immigration affects employment access to services and the sociopolitical environmentrdquo Mondal provided insights into the research methodology emphasising the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to tackle issues like cultural displacement rising crime housing shortages healthcare strain and risks of ldquoradicalisationrdquoSpeaking with midday Prof Mondal said the sixmonth study involved a sample size of 3000 individuals with findings based on both primary and secondary data ldquoThis study is rooted in extensive literature review and a systematic approach to understand the gaps in existing researchrdquo he said BJP leaders including Fadnavis and Somaiya have since been using the report as validation of their allegations of lsquovote jihadrsquoMondal told midday that the pathways of immigration from Bangladesh and Myanmar through eastern states to Mumbai can be perplexing since ldquoMumbai has no direct border with any neighbouring country yet immigrants keep arriving hererdquo He said most survey respondents shared that their first residences in India were in states such as West Bengal Assam Jharkhand and Bihar before migrating to MumbaiWhen asked about the reportrsquos political reception Mondal said ldquoThis report serves an academic purpose The larger goal is to encourage informed dialogue and shape policies that foster socioeconomic harmonyrdquo An NCP leader from the Ajit Pawar faction part of the Mahayuti alliance told midday ldquoWe donrsquot endorse the lsquoVote Jihadrsquo and lsquoBatenge to Katengersquo narrative Many of our candidates are Muslims and such rhetoric will only create a divide among Maharashtrian Muslims and spread unwarranted tensionrdquoWhat is the TISS report aboutA newly released report from the TISS Mumbai highlights the profound impact of illegal immigration on Mumbairsquos socioeconomic landscape The report titled Illegal Immigrants to Mumbai Analysing Socioeconomic and Political Consequences talks about the ldquochallenges posed by the growing population of Bangladeshi and Rohingya immigrants in the cityrdquoResearchers warn of potential consequences for infrastructure public services and local employment and suggest stricter immigration controls to manage the strain on the cityrsquos resources