Delhi Polls: Congress’ Muslim support base may tilt to AAP

NEW DELHI: Known to be traditional Congress supporters, Muslim voters, especially the youth, seem inclined towards AAP this time. In the 2013 assembly polls, the community gave the former the much-needed face-saver—five of the eight seats Congress won were Muslim-dominated ones. However, the grand old party seems to be losing its appeal among the young voters who want change and development.

This time AAP's share of the minority vote could rise significantly in areas like Chandni Chowk and Ballimaran though the same may not be true in case of constituencies such as Matia Mahal.

"It will be wrong to say Muslim votes have consolidated for AAP. But the party could be the preferred choice for those who think that even if Congress wins it won't be able to form the government and therefore it is better to vote for AAP, which is likely to get a majority. However, the traditional Congress supporters will not change their allegiance. There could be some shift among young voters," said Imtiaz Ahmed, a resident of Turkman Gate area.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, BJP gained 5,000-25,000 votes across all Muslim-dominated assembly seats. In the Matia Mahal assembly segment, which is part of the Chandni Chowk parliamentary constituency, BJP's Harsh Vardhan polled 15,453 votes against 6,061 votes the party got in the 2013 assembly elections.

"It's unfortunate that many Muslims still consider themselves as the Congress vote bank. Elsewhere people are voting for change and development—whether it is for AAP or BJP. If the community doesn't wake up to this reality, we ourselves will be responsible for our own backwardness," said Neguive Ahmed of Ballimaran.

"But I can see a change among the youth, who may not vote for Congress this time. Haroon Yusuf has not done anything for the area. He is seen only during the elections. But this divide may increase BJP's vote share," Ahmed added.

In Matia Mahal, which has been electing Shoaib Iqbal irrespective of the party he represented in the past five elections, voters still prefer Congress because of him. Howe, Yusuf, the Congress candidate from Ballimaran, has lost his appeal as locals find AAP's Imran Hussain more accessible.

With Rahul Gandhi cancelling his rally in Okhla on Thursday due to "time constraint", residents say it could help AAP gain ground. "The days are gone when people were at the mercy of Congress," said Zafarul-Islam Khan, president of All India Muslim Majlis-e Mushawarat. Residents of Batla House, Jamia Nagar and Abul Fazal Enclave say that civic issues are more important.

"Except for the Metro work, nothing has been done. We need clean, smooth roads with parking facilities. Even we want cheap electricity and water. We are tired of some politicians using the terror tag to get votes. Our aspirations are same as any other youth," said Tanveer Ahmad, a resident and owner of a small eatery.

However, the elderly Muslims are still loyal to Congress. In Jaffrabad, Mohammed Yusuf and his son Kashif are poles apart with the father remaining loyal to the grand old party and the latter rooting for AAP.