AAP retains Six Muslim-dominated seats in Delhi, Congress struggles
New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has retained six of the seven Muslim-dominated constituencies in Delhi, securing victories in Chandni Chowk, Matia Mahal, Babarpur, Seelampur, Okhla, and Ballimaran. However, the party has lost Mustafabad, where the BJP has made inroads.
Despite criticism over its silence during the 2020 riots and anti-CAA protests, AAP remained the preferred choice for Muslim voters, who saw it as the only viable alternative to counter the BJP. An AAP leader from the minority community acknowledged this support, calling it a “consolation” in an otherwise difficult election for the party.
The Muslim community, which makes up around 13% of Delhi’s 1.55 crore voters, has been a key support base for AAP, alongside Dalits and slum dwellers. The party had won all seven of these seats by large margins in 2020, though leaders had expected a reduced margin this time.
The Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM fielded candidates in Okhla and Mustafabad but failed to make a significant impact. In Mustafabad, AIMIM’s candidate, former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain finished third, while in Okhla, Shifa ur Rehman Khan also finshed on the third spot. Both candidates are accused in the 2020 Delhi riots cases.
Despite efforts to regain Muslim support, the Congress performed poorly. A party leader admitted that they failed to convince voters of their ability to challenge the BJP.
In 2020, Congress had fielded five Muslim candidates in these seats, all of whom lost to AAP. This time, the party fielded seven candidates, but barring Seelampur, where it secured 15.61% of the vote, its performance remained weak.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
