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Journalism of Courage
The BJP on Saturday won three of the four constituencies in Northeast Delhi, which was the epicentre of riots five years ago.
The party won from Mustafabad and Karawal Nagar, where the BJP fielded five-time MLA Mohan Singh Bisht and Kapil Mishra, respectively, with Mishra defeating his AAP rival by 23,355 votes and Bisht defeating his AAP rival by 17,578 votes.
The BJP’s and AAP’s vote shares in Karawal Nagar were 53.39 per cent and 41.78 per cent, respectively.
On February 23, 2020, Mishra in his controversial speech gave an ultimatum threatening to remove those protesting on the road against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in Jaffrabad.
The speech was blamed for being one of the triggers of the communal violence that ensued following clashes between supporters and opponents of the CAA. At least 53 people were killed and scores of others were injured in the riots.
Throughout the campaign, the BJP steered clear from mentioning the riots, with the only reference coming from Union Home Minister Amit Shah towards the end of the campaign.
Targeting the AAP at back-to-back public meetings in Mustafabad and Karawal Nagar, Shah, on February 1, raked up the 2020 riots and accused the AAP of dragging the Capital through the violence.
Shah said: “After the formation of the BJP government in Delhi on February 8, all Rohingyas and Bangladeshis will be selectively expelled.”
Seeking to emphasise that it was time to free Delhi from “AAP-da”, or disaster, Shah also sought blessings at the area’s Prachin Shiv Mandir and Hanuman Mandir after which he asked the people to rid Delhi of liquor mafia and “close down the scamsters’ businesses” by rooting out “hardcore corrupt” individuals.
However, among the Muslim electorate in these areas, the arrests made following the 2020 violence and various cases linked to the riots were part of the discussion, especially following the entry of former AAP leader Tahir Hussain, who was in jail after being arrested in a UAPA case for his alleged involvement in the riots. This time, it was the AIMIM that fielded him.
Apart from Bisht and Mishra, sitting BJP MLA Ajay Mahawar won Ghonda by 26,058 votes. His vote share was 56.96 per cent. His opponent AAP’s Gaurav Sharma bagged 38.41 per cent vote share.
Only Seelampur, among the riot-hit constituencies, was the exception. There, the AAP’s Chaudhary Zubair Ahmed won against the BJP by 42,477 votes. The son of Congress stalwart Chaudhary Mateen Ahmed, Zubair switched to the AAP following the announcement of the Delhi Assembly elections.
Ahmad received 59.21 per cent of the votes polls while Sharma got 27.38 per cent of the vote share.
