With Shoaib Iqbal joining Congress, MIM may defer Delhi debut

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By Ahmed Mohiuddin Siddiqui,
Shoaib Iqbal, the five-time legislator from the Matia Mahal constituency of the walled city of Shahjehanabad destroyed the ‘Mitti ka Mahal’ (Mud Citadel) of the Janata Dal (United) in Delhi and triumphantly walked into the beleaguered Congress party, which was on oxygen after losing both the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. It was a capital gain for the Congress but without any tax. The liability will be known when Shoaib Iqbal hops into another party at a timing of his choice. He has been there and done that in all the political parties.

The childhood fantasy of making and destroying mud house has still not left Shoaib Iqbal, the veteran of Delhi politics, who started as a legislator of the original Janata Dal in 1993 as a protégé of the former prime minister Vishwanath Pratap Singh. He has a firm grip over the voters in his constituency as I could sense it, when I toured New Delhi during the Legislative Assembly polls last year. The area around Jama Masjid, Kareem Hotel, Chudi Bazar and Chandni Chowk is full of strong supporters of Shoaib, who wields excessive clout. His son Mohammed Iqbal and nephew Khurram Iqbal, both councilors, keep a hawk’s eye on the constituency. They joined the Congress too. It is Beta-Bhatija vaad and not Bhai-Bhatija vaad in this constituency.

Shoaib Iqbal can win on his own regardless of the party that he is in. But the Congress stands to gain. In the last polls, the Indiramma party, as it is called in the South India stands to gain as Shoaib can effect transfer of votes in other neighbouring Assembly constituencies. The Ballimaran legislator Haroon Yousuf’s troubles may ease with Shoaib’s entry as he may stop many votes going to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) or the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with solid backing from the Dalits, was breathing at Haroon’s neck. Still, more Dalits assiduously wooed by AAP may fall into BJP’s trap in many constituencies as a fall-out of the Trilokpuri communal riots.

The fight is not evenly poised as the Congress and the AAP do not seem to stand much of a chance as result of the Trilokpuri fall out. A united fight against the BJP can stem the tide. The so-called secular forces are heavily outnumbered against the communal forces.

The political developments in New Delhi with Shoaib’s entry into Congress will make the Hyderabad-based Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen party think twice. A debut entry without much success and division of votes may decrease the Muslim representation in the Delhi Legislative Assembly. Majlis does not have a strong cadre in Delhi. If Owaisi brothers manage to woo a substantial number of minority voters, it may still not be enough to win the seats in the given scenario. The BJP may want the Majlis party to contest the polls and dissipate its energies as the long term plan to make forays into Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal can make things difficult. If Majlis contests and wins one or two seats, it is not worth the effort. Any setback of not winning any seat for the party can demoralize its cadre.

For now, Rahul Baba’s crumbling Mahal (Congress) gets a lease of life with the Matia Mahal MLA Shoaib Iqbal vowing to fight the “communal forces” and help the Congress in preventing the “division of Muslim votes” in his own words.

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