Minority report: Without Congress-AAP tie-up, it’s advantage BJP in Delhi

NEW DELHI: Perhaps there hasn’t been as much uncertainty about who the capital’s Muslim voters will support in the general elections as this year. While BJP appears not to be the party of choice for them, the option between Congress and Aam Aadmi Party too is not clear, at least at this juncture when they have not stitched up a seat-sharing arrangement. The ambivalence over such an arrangement is troubling the community.
“Our vote is always with Congress though we trusted AAP in the previous election. But if there is a divide, then both the parties will be decimated and BJP will easily romp home,” said salon owner Moin Khan in Okhla, voicing the opinion of most Muslims in Delhi. Shoaib Danish, three-time councillor from Zakir Nagar in south-east Delhi, too pointed out that without such an alliance, BJP would have the advantage in the seven parliamentary seats in Delhi because the Muslim vote, constituting 13% of the total, would be hopelessly split.


The larger belief is that Congress is placed better to take on BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi are heavyweights who can confront Modi,” declared Anwar Zaheer, a physician at Batla House. Many like him are unhappy at some central policies, such as demonetisation, goods and services tax and the sealing of shops in Delhi. Sameer, who has a phone business in Seelampur, added, “Small businessmen are out of work and there is unemployment everywhere.”

At Old Delhi’s Matia Mahal, Arbaaz Khan, owner of the popular Aslam’s Chicken, pointed to the photographs of Rahul Gandhi visiting the restaurant in 2015 and assuredly said, “Jama Masjid is going with Congress. We know that Kapil Sibal is going to stand from this constituency.” The walls also have photographs of Sibal at the restaurant in January.

Last Friday, Jawed Khan was among the people sipping tea after Jummah prayers at Chand Masjid in Jaffrabad, which falls in the North-East Delhi constituency. “Congress has picked up pace in the past few weeks so we have the confidence that it will be able to stop BJP,” Khan said. His friend, Subhan Khan of Bazar Chitli Qabar, was more specific. “AAP won the Vidhan Sabha polls in 2015, but we saw in the past four years that it is the lieutenant governor who has all the power. So we want to see a Congress government at the Centre and it should ally with AAP to end the regular tussles between the CM and LG.”

This groundswell of support for Congress, however, could be negated by that party’s tardy approach to the general elections, with polling slated in Delhi for May 12. People are especially annoyed at its indecision over an alliance with AAP. Zubair Khan, a traditional Congress voter and resident of Lakshmi Nagar, observed that the party created the right buzz by announcing the name of former chief minister Sheila Dikshit as its unit chief in Delhi, but the enthusiasm diminished soon after with the all too familiar bickering among the party leaders.

Armaan Ahmed Khan, an Okhla resident, noted that AAP unlike Congress has been active on the ground for over a year, taking care to have roads repaired, sewer problems looked into and school admissions eased for the economically weaker sections. “But more importantly, AAP has managed to market its work well,” Khan said. “People are aware of the work it has done. In contrast, Congress seems to be missing on the ground.”

On Thursday morning, the topic of discussion at Nizamuddin West was school fees. Restaurateur and area resident Mohammed Ashraf asserted that AAP deserved praised for having fought the fee hikes declared by schools. Besides, the gathering felt, health facilities had also improved under AAP and the local MLA was mostly accessible to his constituents. “A large majority in our community will vote for AAP,” Ashraf said.

Social worker Mohammed Taqi of Kucha Pandit echoed Ashraf’s views and also pointed out another advantage AAP had over Congress: it doesn’t shy from participating in functions in Muslim-dominated areas in the capital while Congress is wary of being seen as too Muslim friendly. “As of now the mood is definitely in favour of AAP,” concluded Taqi.

Mohammed Afzal, professor of English at Zakir Hussain College, however, nuanced this when he said it was actually too early to predict who the Muslims will vote for. AAP did have an edge, he conceded, because of its active campaigning, early announcement of candidates and regular contact with voters, but, he added, the contest is for which party forms the next government at the centre, and in this the mood might change in favour of Congress if it looks more likely of the two to manage the numbers required in the Lok Sabha.

Just as people seemed to think that Congress could counter BJP better at the national level, there are many who think AAP is more robust in opposing BJP in the capital. As it is, AAP was quick to announce its candidates, who are already on the stump. Dilip Pandey, for instance, has been reaching out to voters in North-East Delhi constituency, organising functions and public meetings to canvass votes. In East Delhi, Atishi has made inroads into the seat won by Maheish Girri in 2014, while Raghav Chadha too is seen to be on a firm footing in South Delhi.

Ashraf Ali of Daryaganj claimed that AAP was going strong in Chandni Chowk. “People think that if the LG does not cause more trouble, AAP will do very well,” argued Ali. “But for that to happen AAP and Congress must work together. Sibal lost in 2014 because this didn’t happen.” There aren’t too many days left now, and the Muslims will feel more comfortable, and surer of their choice, if the two anti-BJP parties can fight as allies.