The Congress is reportedly considering fielding Ishrat Jahan, a former municipal councillor and accused in a Delhi riots case, as its candidate for the Muslim-majority Okhla constituency in the upcoming Delhi assembly elections.
Jahan spent two years in jail under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) before being granted bail in 2022.
Meanwhile, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has nominated Tahir Hussain, also accused in the riots, for the Mustafabad seat.
Hussain, a former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillor, remains in jail despite securing bail in one case due to pending charges in other cases, including conspiracy and money laundering.
Okhla, currently held by AAP’s Amanatullah Khan since 2015, has seen Congress leaders Asif Muhammad Khan and Parvez Hashmi represent it in the past. Jahan, who is Hashmi’s daughter-in-law, expressed her readiness to contest when approached by the Congress.
Another contender for the ticket is Asif Muhammad Khan’s daughter, Ariba Khan, who won as a councillor in the 2022 Delhi civic polls.
Jahan’s bail was granted after the court found no direct evidence linking her to the riots. Similarly, Hussain was described by a Delhi court as having a “remote” role in one case.
Both candidacies appear to reflect efforts by the Congress and AIMIM to tap into discontent among Delhi’s Muslim electorate, who make up 12.86% of the city’s population. Muslim-majority constituencies include Okhla, Mustafabad, Seelampur, Babarpur, Chandni Chowk, Ballimaran, and Matia Mahal.
The AAP, which has dominated these seats since 2015, faces growing criticism for its perceived silence on issues affecting minorities, including the 2020 Delhi riots that left 53 dead.
The party’s shift toward religious symbolism—such as organizing Bajrangbali processions and promising allowances for Hindu priests and Sikh granthis—has further alienated some Muslim voters. AAP leaders, however, defend this strategy, asserting that religion need not be divisive in politics.
The Congress, reduced to irrelevance in Delhi after the AAP’s rise, won nine wards in the 2022 civic polls, seven in Muslim-dominated areas. Historically, the party relied on Muslim support but lost it to the AAP as the latter demonstrated the ability to defeat the BJP.
However, recent shifts, including leaders like Abdul Rehman joining the Congress from the AAP, suggest political flux within the Muslim electorate.
With both the Congress and AIMIM vying for these constituencies, the upcoming polls may test the strength of the AAP’s hold on Delhi’s Muslim-majority seats.
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