'Does It Even Feel Like Delhi': Riot-Scarred Mustafabad Set For Tricky Contest
Locals who News18 spoke to said that the “real fight” here is between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), but the contest is far from simple for either.
With over 2.63 lakh voters, this is one of the most densely populated constituencies. Locals who News18 spoke to said that the “real fight" here is between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), but the contest is far from simple for either.
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There is a battery of candidates from various parties and those contesting as ‘Independent’ and one can see campaigning in the area. Besides the three major parties in fray — BJP, AAP and Congress — there is also Tahir Hussain, a former AAP councillor, an accused in the 2020 riots in the area who is out on parole to campaign, contesting from the AIMIM. Candidates from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Rashtriya Jan Party, among others, too, are contesting from the seat.
The unique contest
The AAP has fielded Adeel Ahmad Khan, a journalist turned politician who had been with the AAP since the 2011 Anna Hazare movement. Adeel also served as the chairperson of APMC, Asia’s largest wholesale fruit and vegetables market in Azadpur, under the Delhi government.
The BJP this time has given Mohan Singh Bisht, sitting MLA of the adjacent Karawal Nagar constituency, a ticket to contest from Mustafabad instead. Bisht is a five-time MLA from Karawal Nagar, having won the seat in 2020, 2013, 2008, 2003 and 1998.
Until 2008, Mustafabad was part of Karawal Nagar, which people here believe is an advantage for Bisht since he is a familiar face who people have voted for in the past. Locals also feel that Bisht may have another advantage of being the only Hindu candidate while the rest of those in the fray are Muslims, where there is going to be a likely vote spilt, which could in turn help the BJP.
The Congress has fielded Ali Mehdi, son of the well-known former Mustafabad MLA Hasan Ahmed. People this reporter spoke to said that if the Congress candidate will get votes, it will only be in the name of his father. Hasan Ahmed, who has held the seat twice in 2008 and 2013, enjoys the reputation of a politician who not just did development work but also was one who maintained harmony in an area which has a sizeable Muslim population. The seat is said to have around 40 per cent Muslims.
In 2015, the seat was snatched away from Ahmed from a close margin by BJP’s Jagdish Pradhan. In 2020, AAP’s Haji Yunus won from the seat defeating Pradhan with a comfortable margin.
Mohammad Shamim, a spare parts shop owner who has lived here for over 25 years, said the actual fight is between the AAP and the BJP, but it’s not a straight one.
“This time there is a different intensity with which the BJP and even the Congress are contesting, having sensed that the AAP is not going to have a sweep this election. On the other hand, this just might give BJP an upper hand, if the Muslim vote is split between AAP, Congress and others, which is a high possibility," he said.
KK Sharma, who also owns a shop here and has lived in area for around 40 years, said that he was sure that the AAP will form the government in Delhi even if it’s with lesser seats. “Politics in this area has been weak because of religious divide. This is the reason there has just been no or little development here. The contest from this seat is tricky this time with this being the first assembly election post the 2020 riots," said Sharma.
Communal riots broke out in the area in February 2020, just after the Delhi assembly elections were concluded. The violence that went on for two days left 53 dead and hundreds injured. People are still grappling with those memories of charred homes, shops, and schools in the area.
‘A place in Delhi unlike Delhi’
Mustafabad, is connected by the nearby Maujpur metro station and that’s the only urban highlight for the area. Stepping in Mustafabad, one doesn’t feel like they are in a part of the national capital.
The area housing mostly lower middle class is prominent for its open drains, mounds of sewage, broken and dust-laden roads, heavy traffic movement along with non-motorised vehicles all moving in the very lanes of the colony without any regulation. Facilities like a park or a dispensary are missing.
There was a common grouse against the incumbent from the seat, AAP’s Haji Yunus, who, some said, didn’t even come around in the area after elections.
Om Prakash, a local having lived here for 30 years, said many years ago they hoped this place will see development, but even today it is the same since there has been no major political leadership here.
“Does it even feel like it’s Delhi," he asked. “Yunus didn’t do any work. Only Hasan Ahmed did some work here, previously. Also, he was someone who people from all communities looked up to for his belief in keeping harmony. That’s why his son may get some votes. Unless AAP and Congress come together, it might be difficult for them to defeat BJP this time," said Prakash.
Locals said while those in Shiv Vihar, which was the epicentre of the riots, are largely in favour of BJP, in the other parts, the AAP is still strong. “AAP is more prominent only because of Kejriwal (referring to AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal). People are voting for AAP only for him. The sitting MLA didn’t do any development work. BJP is equally strong in Shiv Vihar while there’s a section of people around 25 foot road who have likely been influenced by Hussain," said Shamshad, an e-rickshaw driver.
The women too complained about Yunus. “He (the sitting MLA) didn’t even bother to get a doctor or some medicines in stock at the mohalla clinic, which is why he wasn’t given a ticket from the party," said Shaista (goes by single name).
Along the Shiv Vihar road was a major structure lying defunct for years, which used to be a dispensary. “After Ahmed lost in 2015 this was rendered non-functional. It was said to be built into a hospital, but there’s nothing besides this crumbling structure," said Sunil Kumar, who owns a cloth shop right opposite to it.
Another resident, Shamima Khan, said that the condition of roads was not as bad in the time of Congress’s Ahmed. “The state of facilities has just deteriorated over the past few years," she said.
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