Delhi Elections 2015: Congress turns to five term MLA Shoaib Iqbal to win Matia Mahal

NEW DELHI: Matia Mahal has sent Shoaib Iqbal to the Delhi assembly for five consecutive times, regardless of the party he is contesting from. Iqbal represented Janata Dal in 1993 and 1998, JD(S) in 2003, Lok Janshakti Party in 2008, JD-U in 2013 and Congress this time.

However, it might not be a cakewalk for Iqbal in time around. In 2013, he managed to get only 2,891 votes more than Mirza Javed Ali of Congress. With BJP opting for last time's AAP candidate and AAP roping in a former Congressman, Matia Mahal may turn out to be an interesting contest.

The issues here are typical of any Old Delhi locality—narrow lanes, crumbling buildings, hanging electric wires, water and electricity crises, lack of good schools and parking space.

For his supporters, it is unimaginable that Iqbal, popularly known as "netaji", can be defeated. "For every problem we turn to him. He is always approachable," said Moin Khan from Turkman Gate area.

Iqbal's opponents say the constant switching of sides may hurt him. "He (Iqbal) has been abusing Congress for 20 years. How can we ask people to vote for him?" said a senior Congress functionary.

Areas like Kucha Pandit, Shah Ganj and Gali Satara— added to Matia Mahal after the 2008 delimitation—account for around 18,000 votes and are Congress strongholds. But sources say the party not giving ticket to a local may result in vote shift towards AAP's Asim Ahmed Khan, who contested in the municipal polls for the Congress. "AAP is in with a real opportunity. BJP could play the spoiler as they have fielded a former AAP man," said Mukesh Srivastava of Sitaram Bazar.

BJP is also fancying its chances—its candidate Shakil Anjum Dehalvi had an impressive debut with AAP in 2013— since it hopes Muslim votes will split. "Here votes are based on individuals and not parties. Dehalvi is popular and one should not be surprised if BJP wins here." said Jyoti Sharma, a resident of Churi Walan Gali.