BJP’S FIVE MUSLIM FACES LOSE ELECTIONS

NEW DELHI: The BJP may have won the Delhi municipal elections but its five Muslim candidates lost in their respective wards — all areas dominated by Muslims. While the party did not have a single Muslim face in the assembly elections held in March across five states, it fielded six Muslim candidates in 272 wards across Delhi.

Out of the six candidates, only five contested the polls. A candidate’s nomination was cancelled by the Election Commission because of an error in his nomination form.

For one candidate, the BJP also made an exception to its rule of not giving tickets to sitting councillors or their relatives. In Quraish Nagar, the party gave ticket to Rubina, 52, daughter of a sitting councillor Hoor Bano. Rubina’s family had held the Quraish Nagar ward for three terms.

Except, Rubina, none of the other candidates managed even a runners-up slot. The other four were placed third. She lost to AAP’s Shaheen by about 2,500 votes.

Other candidates, who lost were Kunwar Rafi from Zakir Nagar, Sartaj Ahmed from Chauhan Banger, Sabra Malik from Mustafabad, and Faimuddin Saifi from Delhi Gate.

The AAP and the Congress, which won at these five wards had all fielded Muslim faces.

Atif Rashid, president of the minority wing of Delhi BJP, said that BJP’s vote share improved in areas where Muslims were fielded. “In Zakir Nagar, we had only 427 votes last time, which increased to over 2,000 this time. In Mustafabad, also our vote share increased. Our candidate Rubina lost in Quraish Nagar, as the AAP candidate was from Quraish community,” he said.