The Delhi Assembly elections are just two months away, but before that a unique fight is being waged between the two allies. A unique contest is underway between the two constituent parties of the INDIA bloc – the Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress to induct each other’s leaders into their party. Both parties are doing everything they can to fight the BJP, but in the meantime they are doing everything they can to weaken each other. Including strong leaders in the party is considered part of the political strategy, but what is happening in Delhi has raised the question whether these parties are really preparing to fight with the BJP by weakening each other.
Something like this happened a few hours on Friday!
At the Aam Aadmi Party office on Friday, Arvind Kejriwal inducted former Congress MLA Veer Singh Dhingan into his party. Actually, Veer Singh Dhingan has been MLA from Seemapuri. Seemapuri is a safe seat and hence, the AAP claimed that the party would benefit if a big Dalit leader joins the Aam Aadmi Party from the Congress.
It is noteworthy that this is the same Seemapuri from where Arvind Kejriwal started his slum struggle during his NGO days. At that time, Sheila Dikshit was the Chief Minister and Kejriwal raised the issue of ration corruption from there. But while the Aam Aadmi Party was defeating the Congress leader, a few hours later the Congress also settled scores by inducting a former Aam Aadmi Party MLA into its fold.
Haji Israq had won the elections from Seelampur in northeast Delhi in 2015 on the Aam Aadmi Party ticket. In such a situation, the Congress fulfilled the target of the Dalit leader on the same day by inducting a minority leader into its group.
The background to Friday’s game was already written
Seemapuri and Seelampur match had already started on both sides. Former Aam Aadmi Party minister and sitting MLA from Seemapuri Rajendrapal Gautam had recently left Kejriwal and joined the Congress. It was now certain that if the Congress had gone for Gautam in the Seemapuri elections, Veer Singh Dhingan would not have been left with many options. The same was the condition of Haji Israq.
Matin Ahmed, a five-time Congress MLA from Seelampur, who has been losing elections for the last two times, took up the broom. Along with him, his councilor daughter-in-law and his son also said goodbye to Congress. Haji Israq, who had defeated Mateen Ahmed in 2015, felt this was an opportunity to join the Congress and secure his candidature.
Is this then a fight for Muslim-Dalit votes?
The Congress wants to bounce back in the upcoming assembly elections in Delhi. In the years 2015 and 2020, he could not even open his account in the assembly elections. The Congress’s hope is for around half a dozen Muslim-dominated seats and a dozen reserved seats for Dalits. Arvind Kejriwal also knows that if the Congress revives these seats, about 20 of its seats will be in direct danger and in such a situation the BJP will have an advantage. Therefore, before fighting with the BJP, the AAP and Congress want to fight each other to have an advantage in the real war.
