For the October 5 Haryana Assembly elections, the BJP has announced two Muslim candidates among its 90 nominees: Naseem Ahmed and Mohd Aizaz Khan. Naseem is running from Ferozepur Jhirka, while Aizaz Khan is contesting from Punahana. Both constituencies are located in the Muslim-majority Nuh district of southern Haryana, in the Mewat region.

In past elections, the BJP fielded Muslim candidates but did not secure victories. In 2014, the party nominated Alam and Iqbal, and in 2019, Naseem and Zakir Hussain. All these candidates lost, and the BJP struggled to gain traction in the Nuh region.

Naseem Ahmed, 44, is a former two-time MLA from Ferozepur Jhirka, having won the seat in 2009 and 2014 as an Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) candidate. He joined the BJP before the 2019 polls but lost to Congress’s Mamman Khan. Currently, Naseem serves as the state BJP secretary. Despite his previous successes, the BJP has yet to secure a win in Ferozepur Jhirka.

Mohd Aizaz Khan, 56, a law graduate from Agra University, is a state executive member of the BJP’s Kisan Morcha. He is the son of former minister Chaudhary Sardar Khan. Aizaz switched from Congress to BJP before the 2019 elections and was initially vying for the Punahana seat. He was disappointed when the BJP chose Nauksham Chaudhary instead, leading to his switch to the BJP. Aizaz is now focused on addressing key issues like unemployment in his constituency.

Aizaz emphasized the unity and communal harmony in Mewat, countering claims of divisive politics by asserting that people from different religions support him. He also downplayed concerns about cow vigilantism, stating that respect for all religions is maintained in Mewat.

The Congress has fielded the sitting MLAs, Mamman and Ilyas, from Ferozepur Jhirka and Punahana, respectively, for the upcoming elections.