Delhi elections 2015: Muslims in Seelampur may vote for change

NEW DELHI: Lack of development and poor sanitation continue to plague the Seelampur constituency in northeast Delhi though the rest of the capital is witnessing sweeping changes on these fronts. The roads were reconstructed just before the 2013 polls, but everything else is in a mess.

Despite this abysmal scenario, Congress MLA Chaudhary Mateen Ahmad has not lost an election here in the past two decades. Some say he is always winning with huge margins. In 2013, he won by 21% despite the anti-incumbency wave. The predominance of Muslim electorate in the area has so far worked to his advantage, locals say. Before the delimitation in 2008, Muslims comprised 60-65% of the electorate. But with the addition of Brahampuri and Maujpur to the seat, Hindus and Muslims have equal presence in the constituency.

The area houses a number of unauthorized, regularized and resettlement colonies as well as slums and there is not much scope for development here. Problems of water supply and sewer lines bother the residents. "We got the roads constructed in the entire area," said Ahmad. Remodelling of the Gokulpur drain is expected to solve the sewerage problem. Ahmad admits that two resettlement colonies—Welcome and Seelampur—have not seen much development.

Mukesh Kumar, a shopkeeper at Welcome, said Ahmad was accessible but he had not done much work here. Although Congress has managed to retain the seat for many years, it does not have a municipal councillor from this area though BJP and BSP have two each.

For the coming election, all the parties barring BJP have decided to field Muslim candidates from Seelampur. BJP has fielded Sanjay Jain eyeing votes from Hindu-majority areas.

While lack of development concerns every voter here, Muslims, however, say they cannot support BJP. This factor could help AAP to make an inroad into the constituency. "Earlier we didn't have an option and voted for Congress. In the last assembly elections, we weren't confident of AAP. But after their spectacular debut, many of us voted for AAP in the Lok Sabha election. BJP has never made an effort to connect with Muslims in the area," said Moin Ahmed, a resident.