Delhi polls: AAP first choice for Muslim dominated Okhla

New Delhi: Fight for Muslim vote banks among all political parties has intensified in the last leg of Delhi assembly elections. The Muslim voters are looking for someone with secular credentials and the one who is concerned about local issues. They are also attracted towards the development and freebies promised by all the political parties.

The triangular contest of the last election has become a fight between Aam Aadmi Party and Bhartiya Janta Party this time. Muslim votes, a traditional vote of the Congress in Delhi election, are now slipping away from its grip. AAP has successfully penetrated into Congress' vote bank. In the last elections, the community did not expect such a stellar performance from AAP, and voted for Congress which went on to grab six out of eight constituencies dominated by Muslims.
 
In Muslim dominated unauthorized colonies like Batla House and Shaheen Bagh, local issues play a bigger role over the state or national issues. The issues – that persist in all elections – are regularization of colonies, water, sewer and cleanliness. The current election is no different but AAP has taken a lead over its contenders to highlight the local issues and to present a plan to solve it.

Ahsan Malik, a local resident, terms the cleanliness, water and roads as the main issues. He says, “There is no effect of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan here. We've to buy water from hawkers in this area. We need a government that understands the problems of the people.”

In Okhla constituency, the minority vote is around 65 per cent. The major candidates in the fray are Amanatullah Khan (AAP), Asif Mohd Khan (Congress) and Brahma Singh (BJP). The winner will clearly be the one who gets the support of the Muslims votes. The sitting MLA Asif Khan is riding on his popularity, that is continuously dropping, and the works he has done in the past six years.

On the other hand, Amantullah Khan addresses the local issues at large and presents a plan to solve it. AAP convener Arvind Kejrival's secular image also draws Muslim supports toward the Aam Admi Party.

A local trader Sarwar supports Kejrival for his image vowing that his entire family will vote for AAP. He says, “Everyone has been asking votes in the name of caste and religion. Congress projects itself as the protectors of Muslims but does nothing. Kejrival does not make false promises to the community and does not ask for the votes in the name of religion. He is the real secularist.”

One of the biggest reasons why people in large number voted for the Congress MLA in the last election was that they needed someone who is strong and vocal. The residents see extortions by the police for the construction and they thought that only Asif Khan could protect them.

But this time the perception has changed as they think that Amanatullah Khan can do that too. Arvind Kejrival's 49 days of rule when the cops stopped extorting money also gives the residents a hope.

Arvind Kejrival's image of an honest and secular person is not the only reason for the community's support here. The residents here are mostly from middle and lower middle class, and for them half electricity bill, government schools, basic healthcare facilities matter most. For them, Kejrival is a ‘masiha' who can stop corruption, communal forces and solve their local issues.

An NGO, real cause has highlighted the issue of the burial grounds in its appeal to the residents. The allegations against Asif Khan are that he is sitting on acres of property that is allotted for cemetery. And that he spent millions of money on the renovation of the walls around Batla House cemetery, instead of using it for better purposes. People agree with the points raised by the NGO and say its time to choose another.

There is still upper middle class section of the community who has been traditionally associated with Congress and with Asif Khan personally. Meaning, the votes will be divided again that makes it a triangular contest, unlike many other constituencies in Delhi.