AAP, AIMIM emerges on MP poll arena

In a state which has majorly seen bipartite politics with the BJP and Congress, no third party whether BSP or the Samajwadi Party could make much progress. For 65 years since the birth of the state, politics has always been the struggle between the Jan Sangh and Congress and later the BJP and Congress. But after Sunday’s urban civic poll results, it was apparent that AIMIM has spoiled the chances of Congress win while AAP has cut into BJP votes.

Zafar Alam Khan: Bhopal

About one and a half year before the assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, two new political parties AAP and AIMIM have made steamy entry into the state, that otherwise has a bipolar history.

In a stunner, AAP mayoral candidate Rani Agarwa registered victory from the industrial town of Singrauli, with a margin of 9,149 votes beating BJP’s Chandra Pratap Vishwakarma and Congress’ Arvind Singh Chandel.

While in Burhanpur, an AIMIM mayoral candidate polled more than 11,000 votes in her favour resulting in the defeat of Congress’ Shanaz Ismail by a narrow margin of 388 votes against BJP’s Madhuri Patel. Winning BJP mayoral candidate secured 52,629 votes, Congress candidate Ismail received 52,241 votes while the AIMIM candidate Shayesta Sohail Hashmi pulled 11,322 votes.

AIMIM candidate from ward number 14 in Khandwa Municipal Corporation Shakira Bilal defeated Congress’ Noorjahan Begum by a margin of 285 votes. Two more AIMIM corporator candidates from Jabalpur also won – Parveen Mateen from ward no 49 and Samreen Qureshi from ward 51.

AAP mayoral candidate from Singrauli Rani Agarwal had contested the 2018 assembly election on an AAP ticket but lost. However, for the Singrauli municipal corporation elections, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal campaigned for her three days before polling.

The total number of votes cast in Singrauli was 1,06,000 of that Agarwal secured 34,585 while her nearest rival, the BJP’s Chandra Pratap Vishwakarma got 25,233 and Congress candidate Arvind Chandel received 25,031.

In a state which has majorly seen bipartite politics with the BJP and Congress, no third party whether BSP or the Samajwadi Party could make much progress. For 65 years since the birth of the state, politics has always been the struggle between the Jan Sangh and Congress and later the BJP and Congress. But after Sunday’s urban civic poll results, it was apparent that AIMIM has spoiled the chances of Congress win while AAP has cut into BJP votes.

While campaigning in Bhopal before the urban civic poll, AIMIM leader Assaduddin Owaisi said his party would field candidates for assembly elections next year. AAP which had contested the 2018 assembly elections is also likely to contest 2023. In such a scenario, both BJP and Congress might have to rethink new strategies for the assembly elections next year.