“Ensure SP candidates victory”: UP Madrasa Managers Association issues political ‘Fatwa’, backs party nominees

The Manager Association Arabic Madaris U.P. has formally extended its support to Samajwadi Party (SP) candidates contesting the October 23 Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council elections from teachers’ and graduates’ constituencies.

 

In a resolution dated October 16, the association recorded a unanimous decision to back nine candidates across the two categories. The document was signed by its provincial president, Ayaz Mustafa Khan, following a meeting attended by madrasa managers from several districts of the state.

 

The association, registered under number 00517, has its headquarters at Vinayak City in Lucknow and a camp office in Balrampur. It has appealed to teachers and graduate voters, particularly young voters, to participate in the electoral process and ensure the victory of its preferred candidates.

 

The endorsement has raised questions about the extent to which associations representing educational institutions should participate in organised political mobilisation.

 

 

 

The resolution names six candidates for teachers’ constituencies and three for graduates’ constituencies.

 

The candidates backed for teachers’ constituencies are Dr Sanjay (Sanjayan) Tripathi from Gorakhpur-Faizabad, Lal Bihari Yadav from Varanasi, Sushil Kumar from Lucknow, Dr Akash Agrawal from Agra, Danish Akhtar from Moradabad-Bareilly and Nitin Tomar from Meerut.

 

For graduates’ constituencies, the association has endorsed Kanti Singh from Lucknow, Dr Man Singh Yadav from Allahabad-Jhansi and Shashank Yadav from Agra.

 

The Legislative Council elections are scheduled for October 23, with counting due on October 27. The electorate is limited to eligible registered teachers and graduates in the respective constituencies, rather than the general public.

 

 

The endorsement has brought renewed attention to the relationship between madrasa management bodies, state regulation and public funding.

 

Uttar Pradesh has thousands of recognised madrasas operating under the state’s madrasa education framework, including government-aided institutions whose teachers and staff receive salaries and allowances from public funds.

 

The association represents madrasa managers, including those connected with institutions operating within this regulatory framework. However, the extent of its membership among government-aided institutions and the funding status of the institutions represented have not been independently established in the information accompanying the resolution.

 

Many argue that associations representing publicly supported educational institutions should exercise caution when endorsing political candidates. They contend that public funding and state recognition bring a responsibility to maintain transparency and distinguish educational activities from partisan campaigning.

 

 

The endorsement comes amid continuing debate over madrasa education, curriculum modernisation, recruitment transparency and accountability in Uttar Pradesh.

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Successive governments have pursued measures concerning educational standards, attendance monitoring and the administration of recognised institutions. These reforms have also fuelled wider discussions about balancing religious instruction with mainstream educational requirements.

 

Following the political ‘fatwa’ endorsing Samajwadi Party candidates, demands have emerged for the Registrar of Firms and Societies to examine whether the association’s activities comply with its registration conditions.

 

The endorsement has also raised questions about whether the SP is seeking to consolidate Muslim voter support through organised mobilisation by religious and educational networks, particularly amid its political confrontation with the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh.

 

The development puts the SP’s minority outreach under renewed scrutiny, with many likely to view the association’s appeal as an attempt to bring madrasa-linked networks into electoral mobilisation.

 

The larger question is whether an association representing managers of state-recognised and government-aided institutions should issue a political ‘fatwa’ backing one party’s candidates while invoking its educational network to mobilise voters. The SP and the association should clarify the nature of their engagement, while the relevant authorities should examine any credible evidence of improper use of public resources or official positions.