Asad Shaikh, TwoCircles.net
New Delhi: The New Year in Delhi will begin with a flurry of election activity, as the Congress, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) each set up their political strategies. However, the issues that arose after the previous elections in the national capital, such as the 2020 communal riots and the FIR against the Tablighi Jamaat’s Markaz, are once again stirring political discussions in Muslim-majority areas in the city.
The then Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, in April 2020, had called the Tablighi Jamaat congregation held in mid-March in city’s Nizamuddin West in South Delhi “extremely irresponsible” and ordered registration of an FIR against Maulana Saad for leading the congregation made a statement about the Markaz. The move had then become a talking point. Since then, whenever Muslims and Kejriwal are mentioned, these two issues inevitably come up together. This was particularly evident in the Delhi Municipal Corporation by-elections, where Kejriwal himself campaigned in the Chauhan Banger (Seelampur constituency) by-election, but the AAP candidate suffered a crushing defeat, losing by 11,000 votes to the Congress candidate.
The same happened in the 2022 Municipal Corporation elections, where AAP candidates were defeated in Muslim-majority areas like Mustafabad, Jafrabad, Okhla and Babarpur, primarily due to the political discussions around these issues.
Now, AAP’s senior leaders in Delhi are worried about what might happen in 2025 if these same political dynamics continue in Muslim-majority areas or seats. To understand this better, let’s hear from the people of Delhi.
Abdullah Siddiqui, a voter from Okhla and a journalism student, offers some advice. Okhla, often considered the heart of Muslim politics in Delhi, was the site of the Shaheen Bagh protests in 2020. “The issues Muslims face are the same as anyone else’s, and our needs are the same as everyone else’s. That is why, it is crucial to vote for a party that works for everyone. The AAP is capable of that, and the Congress has no base in Delhi. So, without overthinking, Muslims should move beyond the Markaz and 2020 riots now,” he says.
However, Ashu Saifi, a businessman from Baboo Nagar in the Mustafabad constituency, which was at the epicenter of the 2020 riots, is unhappy with Kejriwal. “When Shiv Vihar and other areas were burning, where was Kejriwal? When innocent children were tortured by the police, neither Kejriwal nor his MLAs came to us. And after all this, an FIR was filed against the Markaz, all of this happened under Kejriwal’s watch. How can we trust him now?”
Mohammad Saad, a social media influencer from Northeast Delhi and the owner of an educational coaching center in Mustafabad, says, “Politics in our country should move beyond Hindu-Muslim divisions. I can vote for anyone, but we must focus on education. Kejriwal has worked on education in Delhi, but why could not he setup good schools in areas like Mustafabad, Seelampur and Gokulpuri? Muslims’ future can be changed through education, but the government must take responsibility, and unfortunately, no one is discussing this.”
Can Kejriwal Win Back the Trust of Muslims?
Around 50-60% of the population in six Delhi constituencies is Muslim, and in 15 seats, the community is in a decisive position. The question is, will they support the AAP again in 2025?
Kejriwal is seemingly aware of these challenges. That is why he visited the home of Delhi’s senior-most MLA, Shoaib Iqbal, had dinner with five-time MLA Chaudhary Mateen and his family, and later tweeted in support of Amanatullah Khan (Okhla MLA).
But despite these efforts, Muslims in different parts of Delhi still harbor some resentment due to the 2020 riots and the Markaz incident. How will Kejriwal address this?
There is no doubt that Kejriwal is not as strong as he was last time. If Delhi’s Muslims do not vote for him, what will be their concerns and demands? And if they do not vote for Kejriwal, who will they support? The Congress? If the votes get split, who stands to benefit? Most likely, it would be the BJP.
These are some of the questions that only time will answer. Winning Delhi’s political battle or even discussing it is not as straightforward in the current climate.