Delhi assembly elections.
There has been an increase in political activity in the Delhi Assembly elections. In Delhi politics, the Muslim community has long voted unilaterally for the Congress and the BJP is not untouchable to them. It’s not just Delhi’s Muslim MPs who won the Lok Sabha elections on the BJP ticket. When Arvind Kejriwal, a standout from the Anna Movement, formed the Aam Aadmi Party, Muslims left the Congress to join him, but the Muslim voting pattern changed again in the MCD elections and aligned with the Indian Alliance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. In this case, the question is, who will the Muslim community lean towards in the Delhi Assembly elections?
The Aam Aadmi Party has announced the list of candidates for all seats in Delhi. Like last time, Kejriwal fielded Muslim candidates in Delhi’s five assembly seats, three of which he bet on his old faces and two where he fielded new Muslims candidate. The Congress has fielded Muslim candidates in three of the 21 seats announced so far but is yet to open the door for other Muslim-dominated seats. In this case, Congress can obviously issue tickets to Muslim leaders from other seats.
Tickets from Okhla Seat to Amanathura
The Aam Aadmi Party has named its sitting MLA Amanatullah Khan as its candidate from Okhla seat, MLA Shoaib Iqbal as its candidate from Matia Mahal seat and Imran Hussain as its candidate from Ballimaran seat. Apart from this, new faces have also emerged by cutting down the seats of incumbents in Seerampur and Mustafabad seats. The Aam Aadmi Party has nominated Zubair Ahmed, son of Chaudhry Mateen, from Seerampur seat and Adil Ahmed Khan from Mustafabad seat.
The Aam Aadmi Party fielded Muslim candidates in these five seats in 2015 and 2020. In 2020, all Muslim candidates managed to win, while in 2015, four Muslim MLAs were elected. Kejriwal has once again fielded Muslim candidates in five Muslim-dominated seats, but it remains to be seen whether the 2020 results will be repeated this time or if any seats will be lost.
The Congress has so far fielded Muslim candidates for three seats. In Ballimaran seat, Congress has fielded former MP Haroon Yusuf, while in Seelampur seat, Congress has fielded sitting MP Abdul Rehman from Aam Aadmi Party. Apart from this, Congress has appointed Mehndi Ali as its candidate from Mustafabad seat. It is believed that the Congress can field Muslim candidates in seats like Okhla, Mathia Mahal and Babarpur.
Asaduddin Owaisi’s party AIMIM has raised the issue of Muslim representation in the country and also plans to contest the Delhi Assembly elections with all its might. Delhi riots accuser Tahir Hussain has emerged as candidate from Mustafabad seat. Apart from this, there are plans to field Muslim candidates in Muslim-dominated seats like Okhla, Ballimaran, Chandni Chowk, Matia Mahal and others.
Muslim voters in Delhi politics
The Aam Aadmi Party, the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party have taken their own political steps to tap into the Muslim vote bank in the Delhi Assembly elections. Delhi is about 12% Muslim, so every eighth electorate is Muslim. Muslim voters play an important role in eight of Delhi’s 70 assembly seats. Ballimaran, Seelampur, Okhla, Mustafabad, Chandni Chowk, Matia Mahal, Babarpur, Dilshad Garden and Kirari are Muslim-dominated areas. Apart from this, Muslim voters are also considered very important in Trilokpuri and Seemapuri districts.
Muslim vs. Muslim fighting
In the 2024 Delhi Assembly elections, we may see a political fight between Muslims and Muslims over Muslim-dominated seats. In the Muslim-dominated constituencies of Okhla, Sirampur, Mathia Mahal, Mustafabad and Balimaran, Muslim candidates can come not only from the Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress party, and can also come from the political parties in Owaisi. The BJP is also fielding Muslim candidates in Delhi. She has been contesting from Okhla, Seerampur and Old Delhi seats. The BJP can field a Muslim as its candidate from Srirampur in Delhi.
Muslim voting patterns in Delhi
In Delhi politics, Muslim voters have been voting in a very calculated manner. Muslims were once considered the traditional constituency of Congress. The Muslim community voted for the Congress in the 2013 Delhi Assembly elections and the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Meanwhile, in the 2015 and 2020 assembly elections, the Aam Aadmi Party emerged as the first choice of Delhi’s Muslim community. The result was that the Congress won eight seats in Delhi in 2013, four of which were occupied by Muslim MLAs. In the 2013 parliamentary elections, the Congress won 5 seats and the AAP won 1 seat in Muslim-dominated areas. Thereafter, the results of the Congressional vote were for ordinary people and Congressional accounts were no longer opened thereafter.
The 2015 elections reflected the Muslim community’s disillusionment with the Congress and its association with Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party. The result was that the Aam Aadmi Party candidate defeated the Congress stalwart and captured the Muslim-dominated seat. The Aam Aadmi Party raised the flag of victory in all Muslim-dominated areas. The result was that Kejriwal appointed a Muslim minister in his government. In Muslim areas of Delhi, issues such as improved electricity supply, roads and water supply remain important. The Aam Aadmi Party has also gained political benefits from it in the 2022 elections.
In 2020, riots broke out in Seelampur and the dissatisfaction among the Muslim community against the Aam Aadmi Party increased. Congress party benefits in 2022 MCD elections in Delhi. Congress MPs managed to win in Muslim-dominated areas, but Muslim resentment towards Kejriwal has diminished due to the Congress’ alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party in the 2024 elections. In the Lok Sabha elections, the Muslim community unilaterally voted for the candidates of the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party, but the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party are again trying their electoral luck in different ways. In this case, it all depends on which political party becomes the first choice of Muslims who have a Muslim majority?
