<p class="bodytext">Amid ongoing controversy surrounding the institution of waqf, the Karnataka State Board of Auqaf is set to hold elections on Tuesday to fill two vacancies in its 11-member apex body. </p>.<p class="bodytext">The board is currently dissolved after the term of the previous board ended on October 22. </p>.<p class="bodytext">The board gets its members — all Muslim — from six different categories. </p>.BJP using Waqf issue as 'political weapon': Karnataka Home Minister Parameshwara.<p class="bodytext">Of the 11 members, seven are elected (one MP, two MLAs/MLCs, two members of the Karnataka State Bar Council (KSBC) and two Mutawallis. The remaining four are nominated, including two religious scholars (one Sunni and one Shia), an IAS officer and a social activist. </p>.<p class="bodytext">Syed Nasir Hussain, the Rajya Sabha MP from Congress, along with MLAs N A Haris and Kaneez Fatima, has already been elected from their respective categories. Vacancies from the KSBC have also been filled. The election is now for the Mutawalli category. </p>.<p class="bodytext">Mutawallis are the heads of self-sustained waqf institutions that have a monthly income of Rs 1 lakh or more. As many as 1,049 mutawallis from across Karnataka form the electoral college. </p>.<p class="bodytext">The High Court of Karnataka recently directed that a new voter list be prepared for the election after Bengaluru-based RTI activist Wazir Baig claimed in a writ petition that many fraudulent names had made it to the original voter list. A well-placed source said that the directive had been complied with. </p>.<p class="bodytext">The six candidates in the fray are campaigning on the platform of removing corruption and protecting Muslim charitable endowments, especially in light of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which is currently being scrutinised by a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC). Among other things, the Bill has proposed to include non-Muslims in the state and central waqf boards. </p>.<p class="bodytext">Syed Muhammad Ali al-Hussaini, the Sajjada Nasheen of Kalaburagi’s Khwaja Banda Nawaz Dargah, Dadapeer, Mutawalli, Jamia Masjid, Chitradurga, are campaigning together on the need to “protect waqf properties from non-Muslim control and eliminate corruption.” </p>.<p class="bodytext">Other candidates are K Anwar Basha, who was the board’s chairman for 14 months in the previous term; Ziauddin, Sarwar Beg, both from Bengaluru, and Naseer Ahmed from Chikkamagaluru. </p>.<p class="bodytext">The results will be announced on November 21. </p>
<p class="bodytext">Amid ongoing controversy surrounding the institution of waqf, the Karnataka State Board of Auqaf is set to hold elections on Tuesday to fill two vacancies in its 11-member apex body. </p>.<p class="bodytext">The board is currently dissolved after the term of the previous board ended on October 22. </p>.<p class="bodytext">The board gets its members — all Muslim — from six different categories. </p>.BJP using Waqf issue as 'political weapon': Karnataka Home Minister Parameshwara.<p class="bodytext">Of the 11 members, seven are elected (one MP, two MLAs/MLCs, two members of the Karnataka State Bar Council (KSBC) and two Mutawallis. The remaining four are nominated, including two religious scholars (one Sunni and one Shia), an IAS officer and a social activist. </p>.<p class="bodytext">Syed Nasir Hussain, the Rajya Sabha MP from Congress, along with MLAs N A Haris and Kaneez Fatima, has already been elected from their respective categories. Vacancies from the KSBC have also been filled. The election is now for the Mutawalli category. </p>.<p class="bodytext">Mutawallis are the heads of self-sustained waqf institutions that have a monthly income of Rs 1 lakh or more. As many as 1,049 mutawallis from across Karnataka form the electoral college. </p>.<p class="bodytext">The High Court of Karnataka recently directed that a new voter list be prepared for the election after Bengaluru-based RTI activist Wazir Baig claimed in a writ petition that many fraudulent names had made it to the original voter list. A well-placed source said that the directive had been complied with. </p>.<p class="bodytext">The six candidates in the fray are campaigning on the platform of removing corruption and protecting Muslim charitable endowments, especially in light of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which is currently being scrutinised by a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC). Among other things, the Bill has proposed to include non-Muslims in the state and central waqf boards. </p>.<p class="bodytext">Syed Muhammad Ali al-Hussaini, the Sajjada Nasheen of Kalaburagi’s Khwaja Banda Nawaz Dargah, Dadapeer, Mutawalli, Jamia Masjid, Chitradurga, are campaigning together on the need to “protect waqf properties from non-Muslim control and eliminate corruption.” </p>.<p class="bodytext">Other candidates are K Anwar Basha, who was the board’s chairman for 14 months in the previous term; Ziauddin, Sarwar Beg, both from Bengaluru, and Naseer Ahmed from Chikkamagaluru. </p>.<p class="bodytext">The results will be announced on November 21. </p>