The fight for the Muslim vote in Delhi

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Abhay Kumar
New Update
Delhi Elections Asaduddin Owaisi Rahul Gandhi Arvind Kejriwal

(L-R) Asaduddin Owaisi, Rahul Gandhi and Arvind Kejriwal

New Delhi: A fierce competition to woo the Muslim vote is being witnessed among the secular parties in the upcoming Delhi assembly elections.

While Asaduddin Owaisi's All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has fielded its candidates for the first time in the Delhi assembly polls, the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has roped in Badruddin Ajmal's All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) of Assam to campaign for its nominees.

Not to be left behind, the Congress has devised a multi-pronged strategy to win over the Muslim voters. Keen on dividing the Muslim vote, the Congress inducted a senior leader of the Pasmanda community and two-time Rajya Sabha member, Ali Anwar Ansari, into the party.

The AAP has made a big strategic mistake in the run-up to the assembly elections by joining hands with the Congress for the Lok Sabha polls. The move revived the almost-dead Congress in the national capital and gave it a new lease of life. The AAP is visibly facing the brunt of such a move in these assembly elections.

In the Lok Sabha polls, the Congress contested three seats and the AAP four. While the AAP took the lead in 10 assembly seats, the Congress managed to gain an upper hand in eight segments.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar made a similar mistake in the 2015 assembly elections when he formed an alliance with Lalu Prasad's Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). It strengthened Lalu Prasad's moribund party and is poised to give a tough fight to the Janata Dal (United) and the BJP in the upcoming Bihar assembly elections.

The Congress is contesting the assembly elections in the capital city not only with Delhi in mind but also with a long-term perspective. It has suffered a huge political loss after the rise of the AAP and its elevation as a national party. The Congress was the strongest party in Punjab but now the AAP is dominating politics there. The Congress was the second strongest party in Gujarat and gave a tough fight to the BJP in the 2017 assembly elections but the AAP fought the 2022 polls strongly thus marginalising the Congress.

In the coming times, there is a strong possibility of the Congress suffering a major political loss due to the AAP in Goa, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and some other states. Therefore, the Congress wants to weaken the AAP and Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi to regain its lost space.

The Congress entered the election fray knowing that it was not trying to form the government but to establish its identity. The party has not been able to open its account in Delhi in the last five elections, including three Lok Sabha and two assembly elections. The Congress wants to bring a change in Delhi with its presence and is keen to see a repeat of the 2013 situation when the AAP formed the government only with its support.

If the AAP succeeds in forming the government after the elections, then a new form of the INDIA bloc could be seen on the country's political scene. Along with this, a big change will also be seen in the opposition's strategy. Along with Mamata Banerjee, Akhilesh Yadav and others, Kejriwal could start a new opposition grouping minus the Congress.

BJP Congress Rahul Gandhi AAP Arvind Kejriwal AIMIM Asaduddin Owaisi Delhi Assembly polls Delhi elections Muslim votes Delhi assembly elections