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 zone that is considered Muslim-dominated and where a tough fight was expected between the Aam Aadmi Party and BJP. But the result went versus 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 wrongness the main reason overdue Mohammad Imran's victory?
The referendum story of Chandni Mahal ward is as interesting as it is politically important. This ward falls in the Matia Mahal turnout constituency, from where Shoaib Iqbal has been MLA seven times. They wanted their favorite candidate to races from AAP. But the Aam Aadmi Party refused to winnow his wish and gave the ticket to Mudassir Usman Qureshi on its behalf. Angered by this visualization 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 retroaction 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 unconfined extent. BJP moreover could not present a strong requirement 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 squatter here for decades. His wrongness had a uncontrived impact and led to the victory of AIFB. This result unmistakably 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 stupefy the referendum results?
Chandni Mahal is an old, historical, and very rented commercial area. The population here is increasingly than 1.2 lakh. Of the approximately 70,000 voters, well-nigh 45 percent are women. The Muslim polity has a big influence here, but the merchantry class, OBC, and unstipulated category voters moreover play an important role. Shoaib Iqbal's hold on this social mix still appeared unbreakable, which directly influenced the outcome of the election.
