Who is Ariba Khan, Congress candidate taking on AAP’s Amanatullah Khan from Okhla in Delhi Assembly polls?

Ariba’s entry into politics comes with a legacy shaped by her father Asif Mohammad Khan, a seasoned Congress leader who served two terms as the Okhla MLA and was a two-time councillor from the area. Known for his “dabang” style, Asif’s career is marked by controversies, including multiple arrests, most recently for allegedly roughing up a cop in Jamia Nagar in 2022. Ariba followed him into politics and at present is a councillor in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi.

Asif says that his decision to pass the baton to his daughter was strategic. “Surveys, both ground and telephonic, showed Ariba was leading among potential candidates, including myself. Okhla needs a fresh, educated face,” he says. Asif first won Okhla in a 2009 bypoll and again in 2013, before losing to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in 2015.

Although this is Ariba’s first Assembly election contest, her political education began over two decades ago, says Asif. “When I was in jail for nine months in 2002, I decided to file my nomination for the MCD elections from behind bars. Ariba was just seven years old but had become the face of my campaign. She used to stand atop the car during rallies, my supporters used to take her from area to area … she represented me with remarkable poise and dedication. I was the first person in Delhi to win an election while in jail. Even back then, she had shown that she had what it takes to lead,” he says.

While Asif’s career was defined by his persona, Ariba focuses on connections. “She knows how to handle the bureaucracy. Even before she got a ticket, everyone in the Congress used to say she would be a big politician someday. I feel she has not received the platform she deserves. If she wins this election, she will be an approachable MLA who will be a strong speaker in the Assembly; she knows how to face the media and the people,” he says.

Asif contrasts his time in politics with Ariba’s. “Back then, politicians who had been to jail were respected because it showed they fought the administration on behalf of the people. But the entry of anti-social and corrupt elements has changed that perception. Ariba’s strength lies in her education, humility, and ability to work with the system. Her mother has been bedridden with a neurological condition for over 25 years, but Ariba has managed everything with grace, she has never shown any tantrums,” he says.

After the Maghrib namaz each evening, Ariba embarks on door-to-door visits, accompanied by supporters with drums and campaign songs playing from a scooter-mounted speaker. LED posters, mounted on the backs of two supporters, carry the slogan: “Ladki ho tum, ladd sakti ho (You are a girl, you can fight)”. She bows before elders to seek blessings and warmly engages women and children. Her campaigners chant slogans in her support, introducing her as “Okhla ki beti” and her father as “Okhla ka sher”.

Although this is Ariba’s first Assembly election contest, her political education began over two decades ago. (x/@AribaAsifKhan)

Ariba highlights the problems that the people of Okhla face. “For 10 years, no significant development has taken place,” she tells The Indian Express. “The roads are broken, there’s no drinking water supply, the sewers overflow, and not a single school or hospital has been built. My aim is to address these developmental issues and to bring the essential necessities of which Okhla has always been deprived.”

Ariba’s uncle is Arif Mohammad Khan, a BJP leader who was recently appointed Bihar Governor. Arif, a three-time Union minister in Congress governments, previously served as the Governor of Kerala. “My brother and I don’t talk much because of our ideological differences,” Asif says. “But both he and my sister-in-law admire Ariba deeply … Ariba is going to be the seventh MP or MLA in the family if she wins this election.”

The Okhla contest

Okhla is expected to see a triangular contest, with Ariba up against AAP’s sitting MLA Amanatullah Khan and BJP’s Manish Chaudhary, who served as councillor from Vijay Vihar in 2017. Amanatullah won the seat in 2015 and 2020 by sizable margins, but has since faced multiple corruption allegations and was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case last September. The Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM is also contesting. The party has fielded Shifa-ur-Rehman, president of the Jamia Millia Islamia Alumni Association who is in jail in connection with the 2020 Delhi riots.

Given that 52% of Okhla’s population is Muslim, the seat has traditionally been won by the party that has cornered the minority community’s vote. However, with the AIMIM’s entry, there are concerns that a division of the Muslim vote could benefit the BJP. “It’s either Amanatullah bhai or Ariba, people are still confused. Many are going to vote for Shifa-ur-Rehman,” says Shamshad, a biryani shop owner in the Shaheen Bagh Market.