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THE two-day meeting of the All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawart in Delhi on September 22-23 was infended to devise a common strategy for the 'Muslim parties' to fight the coming elections. The meeting was attended not merely by representatives of about a dozen Muslim parties and groups, but also by representatives of some political parties not specifically identified with Muslims like the Janata, the Janata (S) (as it still then was), and the CPI. (A notable absentee was the Congress [1].) An important aim of the meeting was to ensure a 'common electoral front' of the Muslim parties with a view to avoiding a split in the Muslim vote. The organisers expect that out of the deliberations of the meeting a united Muslim front of sorts would emerge, with which other 'national' parties could negotiate the best terms for an electoral understanding. Indeed, the Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid, Delhi, whose intervention against the Congress in the 1977 elections substantially contributed to the victory of the Janata in the northern states, is reported o be waiting for the 'best offer' before he will openly express his preference.