After winning the election for the third consecutive time on Saturday, Amanatullah Khan addressed the residents of Batla House following a victory march. He launched a fresh attack on AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, holding him responsible for AAP’s defeat in Delhi.
With 48 seats, the BJP is set to form the government after a gap of over 26 years. Meanwhile, the AAP, which ruled Delhi for over a decade after ousting Congress leader Sheila Dikshit, secured only 22 seats. AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal and former Delhi Chief Minister Manish Sisodia both lost their seats.
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Amanatullah is a dealer: Asaduddin Owaisi
While addressing the crowd, Amanatullah Khan said: “Today, I want to thank the people of Okhla. I am deeply grateful to them. With their wisdom, they voted to save Okhla’s seat.
“Otherwise, look at Mustafabad — where they (AIMIM) made Tahir Hussain contest from jail. He received 33,000 votes, and AAP’s Adil Khan lost to BJP by a margin of 17,578 votes. In Delhi, elections were contested in 70 constituencies, but AIMIM’s focus was on two seats —Mustafabad and Okhla. What happened? The entire Hindu community of Delhi united and defeated the Aam Aadmi Party’s government and its leaders.
“The one person responsible for this is Asaduddin Owaisi, who acts as an agent of the BJP. He has done this before in Maharashtra, in Uttar Pradesh, and now in Delhi. They used IT cells to create a false wave, brought in rented crowds. Today, during vote counting, BJP workers were saying: Why is the kite (kite is party sign of Asaduddin’s party) flying so weakly?’ It seemed as if they were on the same side. They were disappointed by (Shifaur) getting only 40,000 votes as they expecting him to get 60,000 votes’.”
“If the kite had received 60,000 votes, I wouldn’t have been an MLA today. Manish Chaudhary from the BJP would have won. And the only person responsible for this is Asaduddin Owaisi.
“He claims to be a leader of Muslims, but in reality, he works to weaken your government. He works for the BJP. Out of 70 seats in Delhi, why did his party field candidates in only two candidates from Mustafabad and Okhla? They deliberately ensured a loss in one.”
“But you, with Allah’s help, saved this seat. Where did crores of rupees come from? A man in jail how did he manage to fund such expensive campaign? Where did all the flags, banners, and resources come from? Understand this that the IT cells of the BJP and AIMIM are working together. They are taking away your government. The government you trusted, the one that worked for you, has been brought down today. Arvind Kejriwal lost by 400 votes. Many of our MLAs lost. All our ministers lost. One person comes, makes grand statements, and leaves. I just got a call from Sambhal. They told me to ask Asaduddin Owaisi, when 24-25 people were killed in the NRC protests, whose house did he visit? Now, when six people have been killed, did he vist Sambhal. Ask him has he visited even one victim’s house? He is playing with the community and destroying us. One by one, he dismantled the INDIA alliance government in Maharashtra. He contributed to AAP’s defeat in Delhi. Now, BJP is in power, and they are using him as a tool. But we, in our emotions, fail to see it.
“Our all the senior leaders have lost their seats and we have lost the elections…I am disappointed because we will not be able to serve the people…The entire power was engaged, and the system was engaged to make them (BJP) win. The way the Election Commission was working, all these things are in front of everyone, so who can win from them in this way…,” he said.
This is not a moment of celebration for me, he said.
“…BJP has benefitted from Congress. Congress and AIMIM did not fight to win, they only wanted to defeat AAP. They have a very crucial role in the defeat of AAP…Congress put all its strength to defeat AAP… ,” he told ANI.
AAP found a silver lining in retaining the support of Muslim voters. Among the six constituencies where Muslims constitute 35 to 50 per cent of the electorate, AAP secured victories in five — Seelampur, Matia Mahal, Okhla, Ballimaran, and Babarpur — losing only Mustafabad to the BJP by a margin of 17,578 votes. AAP triumphed in three other constituencies with a significant Muslim voter base: Seemapuri, Chandni Chowk, and Sadar Bazar. Historically, Delhi’s Muslim community favored Congress but shifted its support to AAP in 2013.
Reactions on Amanatullah’s claims on Owaisi and polarisation
Media analyst M Ghazali Khani said it is incorrect to claim that “the BJP’s success in Delhi is due to Asaduddin Owaisi.”
He said: “…However someone should explain the logic behind exploiting the plight of these helpless individuals in jail and making them contest elections. If they had won, would that have led to their release? Could they have represented Muslims in any meaningful way while still in jail?
“I don’t understand why many of us forget that we are a minority in India, and elections are a numbers game. The kind of politics the BJP is playing has pushed us into a corner, and if we continue to act foolishly, the situation will only deteriorate. We are under no illusion that any so-called secular party is our true well-wisher.
“As for Okhla, a Muslim-majority area in Delhi, Amanatullah neither improved conditions here before nor is he likely to do so in the future. Even if another candidate from a secular party replaces him, they will behave exactly as he has — doing little to nothing for the community. Until Muslims, at least in Muslim-majority areas, move beyond slogans and vote with awareness and unity, and until Muslim politicians understand that failing to perform will cost them their seats, nothing will change. Just as Amanatullah was elected despite his inaction, why shouldn’t the people of this area be considered fools for re-electing him? And why wouldn’t he believe that, in another five years, he can once again deceive them?
“We would have believed that Owaisi was serious about winning elections and serving his constituents if he had done groundwork years in advance by consulting Muslim parties, big or small, not only in Delhi but also wherever he had previously fielded candidates. His sudden appearance on the scene without any preparation or consultation with anyone is bound to create doubts. As a result, he could not even secure candidates with significant social influence. In Okhla, he merely exploited the plight of activists who are now paying the price for organising the anti-CAA and NRC movement.”
Author, columnist, and media analyst Soroor Ahmed said that Amanatullah’s statement is exaggerated and goes too far.
“There was some polarisation, but not across all of Delhi. Asaduddin Owaisi saw some success — he managed to divide the vote in Mustafaabad, a Muslim-dominated constituency. However, it’s difficult to say whether polarisation influenced the entire city. In Jamia, a predominantly Muslim area, it may have played a role, but I’m not entirely sure. One thing I keep emphasising is that despite Owaisi drawing massive crowds at his rally, he ultimately did not succeed.”
Hat-trick for Amanatullah
Amanatullah Khan secured his third consecutive victory in the Okhla Assembly seat, winning by 23,639 votes with a total of 88,943 votes. Since 2015, he has consistently dominated the constituency, dismantling what was once a Congress stronghold.
BJP’s Manish Chaudhary finished second with 65,304 votes, while AIMIM’s Shifaur Rehman Khan, currently in Tihar Jail in the Delhi riots case, secured 39,558 votes. Despite a low-profile campaign due to AIMIM’s growing presence in Okhla, Congress candidate Ariba Khan managed over 12,000 votes.
In the 2020 Delhi Assembly elections, Amanatullah defeated BJP’s Braham Singh by 71,827 votes, securing 1,30,367 votes. Before AAP’s dominance, the Indian National Congress (INC) controlled Okhla, with Asif Mohd Khan winning in 2013.
In 2013, INC’s Asif Mohd Khan secured 50,004 votes, defeating AAP’s Irfanullah Khan by 26,545 votes.
