BJP seems to be headed for an embarrassing drubbing on the minority-dominated Okhla seat which includes Shaheen Bagh area, the epicentre of anti-CAA protests in the capital. Saffron party’s Brahm Singh was trailing by close to a record 88 thousand votes against Aam Aadmi Party’s sitting MLA, Amanatullah Khan after the conclusion of 17 rounds of counting.
Amanatullah Khan had garnered over one lakh ten thousand votes against Singh’s 20 thousand votes. Congress candidate Parvez Hashmir was third with over 3,000 votes. Khan had won this seat in 2015 with over 64,000 votes.
Khan has already declared victory and says the people of Delhi had served a lesson to the BJP.
“Delhi’s people have given an electric shock (current) to the BJP and Amit Shah, this victory is for development and a loss for hate,” he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
The epicenter of Anti-CAA protests, Shaheen Bagh, was also the fulcrum of BJP’s campaign built around nationalism which was described as highly polarising by the party’s rivals.
Shaheen Bagh and Jamia Nagar, both part of Okhla constituency, shot into the spotlight for anti-CAA protests that turned violent on at least one occasion and led to the protestors blocking a major road connecting Delhi to Noida. Shaheen Bagh became a symbol inspiring several other copycat 24x7 protests across the country.
BJP had pitched the Delhi assembly elections as one between the forces supporting Shaheen Bagh protests and those opposing it. Two BJP leaders, UP CM Yogi Adityanath and Anurag Thakur were sanctioned by the election commission for referring to Shaheen Bagh protestors as anti-nationals during the campaign.
{{/usCountry}}BJP had pitched the Delhi assembly elections as one between the forces supporting Shaheen Bagh protests and those opposing it. Two BJP leaders, UP CM Yogi Adityanath and Anurag Thakur were sanctioned by the election commission for referring to Shaheen Bagh protestors as anti-nationals during the campaign.
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