In Delhi battle for key Muslim vote, AAP on tenterhooks as Congress turns up heat

Along with Dalits and jhuggi-jhopdi oregon slum clump residents, the Muslim community, which accounts for astir 13% of Delhi’s 1.55 crore voters, played a cardinal relation successful ensuring the AAP’s expanse successful the 2015 and 2020 Assembly polls, erstwhile the enactment had bagged 67 and 62 seats retired of 70, respectively.

Prior to the 2015 polls, the Muslim voters were considered portion of the Congress’s formidable enactment basal successful Delhi that fuelled the party’s triumph nether Sheila Dikshit’s enactment for 3 consecutive presumption during 1998-2013.

While the salient parties had nominated altogether 16 Muslim faces successful the 2020 Delhi polls, this clip they person doubled this tally to 32, with assorted smaller parties besides fielding respective Muslim candidates portion eyeing a stock successful the community’s vote.

In the 2020 polls, the Congress had fielded lone 5 Muslim candidates – successful the aforesaid seats wherever the AAP’s Muslim faces emerged arsenic the winners. The Congress’s ballot stock was precise debased successful these seats barring Seelampur wherever it got 15.61% votes. The enactment had failed to unfastened its relationship successful the polls, repeating its 2015 rout.

In 2020, the BSP had enactment up Muslim nominees successful 3 seats, with the NCP, RJD and Shiv Sena fielding Muslim faces successful 1 spot each.

This time, the Congress has fielded Muslim candidates successful 7 seats, including 5 from its 2020 line-up arsenic good arsenic Babarpur successful North East Delhi and Jangpura successful South East Delhi.

Of the AAP’s 5 Muslim candidates, 3 are caller faces fielded from the Matia Mahal, Seelampur and Mustafabad constituencies. Mustafabad was 1 of the worst-affected belts successful North East Delhi which was deed by riots successful February 2020 successful which astatine slightest 53 radical were killed. The 3 dropped Muslim MLAs from the AAP are portion of its 20 sitting legislators whom the enactment has denied summons this clip successful a bid to antagonistic anti-incumbency.

The BSP, which is presently contesting 68 seats, has nominated Muslim faces successful 5 seats — Tughlaqabad, Adarsh Nagar, Sangam Vihar, Rithala and Laxmi Nagar, which person important beingness of Muslims. The enactment had drawn a blank successful 2020.

The Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM, which had not contested the erstwhile Delhi polls, has fielded 2 candidates this clip – Shifa-ur-Rehman successful Okhla and Mohd Tahir Hussain successful Mustafabad.

A erstwhile AAP councillor, Tahir was successful jailhouse implicit his alleged engagement successful the 2020 Delhi riots, for which helium was besides expelled by the AAP. He is present retired of situation connected a six-day custody parole granted by the Supreme Court to run for the Delhi polls.

Shifa-ur-Rehman, erstwhile president of the Jamia Millia Islamia Alumni Association, was besides successful jailhouse successful transportation with the 2020 Delhi riots and has been granted a five-day custody parole by a section tribunal to contention the Delhi polls.

In Okhla, which has 52% Muslim population, the AAP has retained its sitting MLA Amanatullah Khan, who had won the spot successful 2015 and 2020 with large margins. The Congress has pitched its councillor Ariba Khan, girl of erstwhile enactment MLA from Okhla Asif Mohammad Khan, against Amanatullah.

The Muslim ballot has traditionally been decisive successful determining the victor successful the Okhla seat. Of 14 candidates successful Okhla for the February 5 polls, 12 beryllium to the Muslim community, with lone the BJP and the BSP fielding Hindu nominees there.

With the introduction of respective well-known Opposition Muslim faces successful the fray, particularly those from the Congress, determination are concerns successful the AAP campy that a part of the Muslim ballot whitethorn person an adverse interaction connected its canvass chances successful respective seats and payment the BJP.

Some different constituencies similar Chandni Chowk and Badli besides person important Muslim voters, with authorities Congress main Devendra Yadav contesting from the latter.

In 2015, the BJP had won conscionable 3 seats including Mustafabad, which was attributed to a divided successful the Muslim vote. In that election, BJP campaigner Jagdish Pradhan (35% ballot share) had defeated the Congress’s Hasan Ahmed (31.68% votes) and the AAP’s Mohd Yunus (30% votes).

In 2020, however, erstwhile the Muslim assemblage threw its value down the AAP’s Yunus, helium won by garnering 53% votes with the BJP’s Jagdish Pradhan finishing runner-up with 42% votes. The Congress’s Ali Mehdi managed to get conscionable 3% votes.

In the upcoming polls, the AAP has replaced Yunus with Adeel Ahmed Khan, portion the Congress has again fielded Ali Mehdi.

The Aazad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) led by Nagina MP Chandra Shekhar Aazad has fielded 14 candidates, including Muslim faces successful 4 seats – Narela, Kirari, Sangam Vihar and Chhatarpur. As Muslims and Dalits are portion of the ASP(KR)’s halfway base, the votes garnered by the party’s nominees whitethorn besides person a bearing connected the AAP’s prospects.

In bid to consolidate its Muslim enactment base, AAP person Arvind Kejriwal roped successful Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav to run for his enactment successful immoderate areas successful the nationalist capital. Akhilesh precocious joined Kejriwal successful a roadshow successful Outer Delhi’s Kirari, wherever helium appealed to voters “not to discarded their votes” and assistance the AAP to “wipe out” the BJP.

While the BJP has not fielded immoderate Muslim candidates, it is relying connected “drawing country baithaks” successful its run successful Muslim pockets. The leaders from the party’s Delhi portion number morcha, on with their counterparts from different authorities enactment units’ number wings, person been starring a muted campaign, particularly reaching retired to the women members of Muslim households successful Okhla, Mustafabad and Seelampur.

The Ajit Pawar-led NCP has fielded 23 candidates, naming Muslim faces successful 7 seats including Sangam Vihar, Matia Mahal, Chandni Chowk, Ballimaran, Badarpur, Janakpuri and Moti Nagar.

NCP nationalist wide caput and Delhi in-charge Brijmohan Srivastava claimed, “Our purpose is not to payment oregon dent immoderate party. NCP is contesting present without confederation to summation its governmental powerfulness successful Delhi. All our candidates are susceptible and fashionable among people.”