Chandni Chowk: Fierce battle emerging between AAP, BJP

Despite the Shahi Imam Ahmed Bikhari’s (Jama Masjid) call to vote for Congress, Muslim voters in the constituency aren’t swayed. Members of this religious minority constituency are much more impressed with what the Aam Aadmi Party has offered.  As a result, Congress seems to be out of the contest.

‘Be it an advocate or journalist, a doctor gives treatment to all,’ said Harsh Vardhan, Delhi BJP president and candidate from Chandni Chowk. He put up a confident face but the seat is stuck in a clear tri-angular contest. The seat, having over 14 lakh voters, recorded 66.68 per cent turnout this time. In the recently concluded assembly elections, the area witnesses 67.94 per cent turnout.

Sitting MP Kapil Sibal, who had defeated BJP candidate Vijender Gupta by over 2 lakh votes in 2009 poses no major challenge for Vardhan. However, the new player on the block, AAP’s Ashutosh has really emerged as a major challenger.

The Matia Mahal assembly segment, where BJP is poorest in terms of vote, had bagged only 6061 vote only in Delhi assembly elections out of 71,665 votes polled here, followed by 18,092 votes in Chandni Chowk area. If we go by the voting trend witnessed in last year’s assembly elections, AAP secured a maximum of 2.99 lakh votes, followed by 2.65 lakh for BJP and 2.20 lakh for the Congress, out of total 13.92 lakh votes in all the ten assembly segments.

‘We had already won this Lok Sabha seat in assembly elections and will surely win this time also,’ said Ashutosh, brushing aside the challenge of Vardhan and Sibal.

‘I have defeated several star personalities and have confidence in my work. The high percentage of voting is surely in favour of Congress,’ said Kapil Sibal claiming his win from this seat. Out of the ten assembly segments in this seat, AAP secured four, BJP won three, Congress secured two and an independent ran away with one.

Muslims, a traditional vote base of the Congress, are clearly divided at almost all polling stations in the area. ‘We have trusted Congress many times. However, this time we want to test AAP,’ said Mohammed Imran, a voter. The Muslim voters were indifferent to the personal image of BJP candidate Harsh Vardhan but seemed consolidated to prevent Modi, whereas the ‘Modi wave’ seems to have consolidated Hindu voters across the caste, class and age groups.