Tough fight likely for Cong in Okhla bypolls

Congress could face a challenge in retaining the Okhla Assembly seat as two Gujjar candidates, including one of its rebels, are likely to change the caste equations in the Muslim-dominated constituency, which goes to bypolls on Tuesday.

Congress could face a challenge in retaining the Okhla Assembly seat as two Gujjar candidates, including one of its rebels, are likely to change the caste equations in the Muslim-dominated constituency, which goes to bypolls on Tuesday.

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NCP nominee Ram Singh Bidhuri, a former Congress leader, and BSP's Brahma Singh Bidhuri have the potential to make a dent into the Congress stronghold, which has 43 per cent Muslim voters, 15 per cent Gujjar electorate and 11 per cent OBCs.

However, the electoral battle for the seat is being seen as a direct fight between Congress' Farhad Suri and RJD's Asif Mohammad Khan.

Khan had lost the last assembly election by a narrow margin of 400 votes to Congress candidate Pervez Hashmi.

Bypoll was necessitated after Hashmi got elected to Rajya Sabha. Hashmi had won the seat for four consecutive terms.

Bidhuri switched over to NCP after he failed to bag the Congress nomination for the seat. Then sitting NCP MLA, he had joined the Congress just ahead of the Assembly polls last year and contested from Badarpur where he lost to BSP's Ram Singh Netaji by a margin of 3,305 votes.