Neither BJP Nor AAP— AIFB Stuns All By Winning Delhi’s Muslim-majority Ward

New Delhi: As soon as the results of the Delhi Municipal Corporation by-election came, Chandni Mahal ward attracted the most attention. This is the same area that is considered Muslim-dominated and where a tough fight was expected between the Aam Aadmi Party and BJP. But the result went against both. Neither AAP nor BJP could win this seat. Here, All India Forward Bloc (AIFB) candidate Mohammad Imran won. He received 11,814 votes, while AAP candidate Mudassir Usman came second with 7,122 votes. The victory margin was 4,692 votes.

Was Shoaib Iqbal's anger the main reason behind Mohammad Imran's victory?

The election story of Chandni Mahal ward is as interesting as it is politically important. This ward falls in the Matia Mahal assembly constituency, from where Shoaib Iqbal has been MLA seven times. They wanted their favorite candidate to contest from AAP. But the Aam Aadmi Party refused to accept his wish and gave the ticket to Mudassir Usman Qureshi on its behalf. Angered by this decision of AAP, Shoaib Iqbal left the party and fielded Mohammad Imran from AIFB. As a result, both Shoaib Iqbal's hold and stronghold remained intact, and Imran won easily.

Did the selection of the AAP candidate backfire in Chandni Mahal?

The way AAP sidelined the likes of Shoaib Iqbal, the party suffered a huge loss of his supporters and local network. Shoaib Iqbal put his full strength in support of Mohammad Imran. This was the reason why AAP's vote slipped to a great extent. BJP also could not present a strong claim in this ward. Many political analysts are calling this a "strategic mistake by AAP," which directly benefited the AIFB candidate.

Does the vote pattern indicate that local leadership is still decisive in Muslim-dominated areas?

Chandni Mahal's voting shows that the influence of local leadership is very strong in this area. Shoaib Iqbal has been a political face here for decades. His anger had a direct impact and led to the victory of AIFB. This result clearly indicates that in Muslim-dominated areas, the trust of the leadership and not the party matters more.

Do the population and social structure of Chandni Mahal affect the election results?

Chandni Mahal is an old, historical, and very busy commercial area. The population here is more than 1.2 lakh. Of the approximately 70,000 voters, about 45 percent are women. The Muslim community has a big influence here, but the business class, OBC, and general category voters also play an important role. Shoaib Iqbal's hold on this social mix still appeared unbreakable, which directly influenced the outcome of the election.