It was a result no one had imagined, not even the victor.
A Muslim was elected as 'pradhan' (panchayat chief) of Rajanpur village in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya district, about 150 kilometres from Lucknow. In this village, there is only one Muslim family; the rest are all Hindus.
According to reports, Hafiz Azimuddin emerged victorious after defeating as many as seven rivals, all of whom hailed from the majority Hindu community.
While the other contestants played caste and communal cards and tried to woo voters with big promises, Azimuddin kept his campaign restricted to door-to-door canvassing.
Azimuddin said he thought he did not stand a chance when he submitted his nomination for the post. ''Mine is the only Muslim family in the village... all the others hail from the Hindu community... Under such circumstances, no one gave me even an outside chance of winning the election,'' he said.
''The result came as a shock for my rivals and a pleasant surprise for me,'' he added.
Azimuddin said he never faced any problem from the Hindus and had friendly relations with the residents of the village. ''I have never felt threatened in this village,'' he said.
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