Minorities Hold the Keys to Okhla Constituency

Situated along the Yamuna floodplains in southeast Delhi, the last stretch of the river in the national capital, the densely populated Okhla assembly constituency offers a window to the unique microcosm of political and religious dynamics at play with regard to minority voters in this election.

- Paras Singh

Situated along the Yamuna floodplains in southeast Delhi, the last stretch of the river in the national capital, the densely populated Okhla assembly constituency offers a window to the unique microcosm of political and religious dynamics at play with regard to minority voters in this election. This time, the contest for Okhla―one of the largest assemblies in terms of the number of electors-hosts an interplay of community, caste and family loyalties in a foursided contest.

A key factor at play in Okhla is that the echoes of anti-CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) protests continue to reverberate with political parties-be it in terms of candidate selection or the rhetoric being used for the polls. At the heart of the geographical area of the constituency are the Jamia Millia Islamia and Shaheen Bagh, where the protests were at their peak.

The constituency Of 70 assemblies in Delhi, Okhla's electorate of 379,509 voters is only surpassed by Bawana, Matiala, Burari and Vikaspuri, in numerical terms.

Parties estimate key voter communities here to be Muslims (45%), Scheduled Caste (10%), Gurjar (15%), OBC (12%) and Punjabi (6%), among others.

The assembly covers five municipal wards: Zakir Nagar, Abul Fazal Enclave, Sarita Vihar, Madanpur Khadar East and Madanpur Khadar West.

Okhla, once a village, showed first signs of urbanisation in 1935 when the foundation for the Jamia Millia Islamia, previously located in Karol Bagh, was laid.

Over the decades since, the area grew rapidly into a mix of industrial, commercial, educational and residential hubs. Currently, its key areas include Zakir Nagar, Batla House, Abul Fazal Enclave, Okhla Head, Jamia Nagar, Shaheen Bagh, Okhla Vihar, Johri Farm, Ghaffar Manzil, and Jamia Millia Islamia campus. The constituency has a few tony areas, such as parts of New Friends Colony, Sarita Vihar and Kalindi.