By Saiyed Danish, TwoCircles.net,
New Delhi: Mehrauli is known for its mutual co-existing syncretic tradition. The combined charm of the ancient heritage of Yogmata temple and the dargah of the Sufi saint Qutubuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki binds devotees of all faiths in one pious bundle. It is under the shadow of this culturally harmonious atmosphere that the battle of the Mehrauli Assembly seat is being fought.
With a total voting strength of 1.5 lakhs, Mehrauli has 20,000 Muslim votes. They are concentrated in the area surrounding the dargah and Islam colony and usually indulge in small businesses. In a constituency where maximum votes polled last time to a candidate were 21,740, the strength of Muslim votes is bound to play a pivotal role. It is where the clerics come into the game.
Sitting MLA and Congress candidate from Mehrauli constituency, Dr. Yoganand Shastri.
In 2008, Congress and BJP candidates, Dr. Yoganand Shastri and Sher Singh Dagar respectively had put up a good show. While Shastri polled a total of 21,740 votes the number of voter polled in favour of Dagar were 20,632.
However, the circumstances have drastically changed this time as Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has been making foray into the assembly seat which is seen as Shastri stronghold. Narender Singh Sejwal is the AAP candidate from Mehrauli.
On the other hand, the young BJP candidate Parvesh Verma is also slogging it hard to hold and possibly surpass BJP’s last tally in his debut innings.
While Congress has teamed up with the Maulanas (clerics) and Imams of mosque and madrasas, the BJP has decided to directly hit the dargah community and has secured the support of the Peerzadah of the dargah. Earlier, the BJP, in their previous rallies in Mehrauli had teamed up with Maulana Rafaqat and Maulana Intezaar. Both the parties seem to be heavily depending on the clerics to call shots in Muslim settlements of the constituency.
“Maulanas who represented BJP have no base whatsoever in Muslim areas. No Muslim likes BJP or Modi after whatever has happened to us in Gujarat and Muzaffarnagar. Only cap and beard do not bring votes,” said Qari Neamatullah, the Imam of Masjid Inayatullah who stood by the Congress MLA Yoganand Shastri’s public meeting in Islam colony.
Syed Naser Ali, a retired government employee said, “The clerics pitted by BJP are only for their own interest as they have nothing to offer for the community.”
The BJP’s minority show of strength at the courtyard of dargah was also a sight not to miss. “I will make this dargah the most revered in the whole world,” claimed the BJP candidate, while addressing a gathering of local Muslims from there.
While invoking the tolerant culture of the dargah he said that without the votes of Muslim brothers he would be nothing. “I ask you to raise your hands in my favour to tell the world you are with me and not with Congress,” he says and everybody raises their hands in the air to cheer him up.
Parvesh Verma’s confidence is powered by the Peerzada, the head of the dargah who has come out in absolute support of the BJP candidate. “In the last 65 years Congress has taken our votes for granted and treated us as their default vote bank but now we want to prove that the political tide in Mehrauli is at the mercy of the Muslims here and we will teach the MLA a lesson,” said the head of the dargah.
However, Mohammad Sehar, a young voter of Mehrauli who attended the BJP’s dargah gathering said that personally he is confused between Congress and AAP while the BJP doesn’t stand a chance in the view of Muslims there.
Yoganand Shastri’s speech in Islam colony was full of promises if he was elected again. “I have sanctioned Rs. 1.60 crore for the development work in Harijan and Dalit areas of Mehrauli,” he said.
BJP candidate from Mehrauli Assembly constituency Parvesh Verma.
The Harijans of Mehrauli are mainly concentrated in Lado Sarai and Kusumpur Pahari camp. He claimed of installing UGRs in three area of Mehrauli constituency to solve water problem. He also poke of pension plans which benefitted women and old age people.
An old woman in the locality, however, differs. “I have been running post to poll for the last two years to get my pension but to no avail,” says Rampyari, an aged housewife.
People also claim that water bill has gone up. “We receive our water bill upto Rs. 10,000 which is just the double of the one we would get. Shastri ji is unapproachable for us,” said another dejected resident.
Ameer Hasan, an aged shopkeeper says that AAP’s wave is equally strong in the area. “When Congress and BJP conducts rallies they buy the audience with money and liquor, but in AAP’s programmes people participate as per their will and in greater number than in other parties’ rallies,” he says emphatically.