Can Amanatullah hold Okhla fort against AIMIM’s emotive campaign ‘from jail’?

In 2020, AAP’s Amanatullah Khan had won with the second largest victory margin in Delhi – over 70,000 votes. But this time, he stands on shaky ground. Facing anti-incumbency and strong contenders, the MLA has been trying to remind voters in the Okhla constituency of his “sacrifice” while warning them against splitting of votes.

The primary reason is the AIMIM’s emotive campaign around political prisoners and its claims about all major parties deserting the secular agenda as well as the need for development in the area. The rhetoric seems to be making some inroads because of the candidature of Shifa-ur-Rehman, the president of the Jamia alumni association who had played a role in anti-CAA protests around the Jamia Millia Islamia campus and has been in jail since 2020 over the Delhi riots. Rehman has been granted parole to campaign. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has also addressed public meetings in the area.

The Congress candidate is Ariba Khan, whose father Asif Mohammad Khan is a former MLA. Rahul Gandhi campaigned for her earlier this week in the area. The BJP’s candidate is Manish Chaudhary, who is also seen as a popular choice in areas with a smaller percentage of Muslim voters and who may benefit from the split of Muslim votes.

Newslaundry spoke to voters in the constituency to gauge the mood on the ground.

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