Asif Md Khan, former Okhla MLA’s daughter should contest from Abul Fazal Enclave: Noor Nawaz Khan
Former Congress Okhla MLA Asif Md Khan’s daughter should contest from Ward 102S (Abul Fazal Enclave–Shaheen Bagh), wrote Noor Nawaz Khan a few minutes ago on social media.
Commenting on a post by one Salman Malik, who appears to be very close to the former MLA Asif Khan, Noor Nawaz — director of two coaching institutes based in Okhla and who in the past contested MCD election unsuccessfully — supported Khan’s daughter Areeba.
Malik had shared a photo of Asif Khan with his daughter standing beside him, accompanied by a short caption: “Areeba is an ex-student of Study Point. She should contest from Ward 102S,” he wrote on Facebook.
Since Ward 102S has been reserved for women, the buzz in the locality is: Will Asif Khan launch his daughter as the Congress candidate in the upcoming MCD polls from the Abul Fazal Enclave ward?
Earlier, when the OT asked Asif Khan about the possibility of his daughter being a candidate, he said it was too early to jump to any conclusions. Areeba couldn’t be reached for her comments on the matter.
However, it appears that some of his supporters, including Noor Nawaz Khan, are in favour of her contesting the elections, said one Okhla political observer.
Abdul Wajid Khan of the AAP is the sitting Councillor from this ward. All parties — including the BJP, Congress, and AAP — are gearing up for the MCD elections, which are just a few months away, though the date is yet to be announced.
With the MCD elections approaching, Okhla is in the grip of political fever. Aspiring politicians and local activists have begun lobbying for their chance.
Political watcher and YouTuber Rizwan Khan said Asif Khan is a seasoned politician and will only announce his daughter’s candidacy after gauging the mood of Okhla residents. Though Noor Nawaz Khan has taken the first step by suggesting her name, other Congress youth leaders have remained quiet on the matter. A Congress insider told the OT that the party should give a ticket to a new face who has been working hard in Okhla for years, rather than to someone who has done little but comes from a political family.
Besides Areeba, another name doing the rounds in Congress circles is that of former Okhla MLA Pervez Hashmi’s daughter-in-law, Ishrat Jahan. After their political careers faded, these two leaders seem keen to revive their family clout in Okhla politics by pitching their relatives — daughter and daughter-in-law, respectively, said one political observer.
He said the contest for tickets is expected to be intense, with more new faces likely to emerge in the coming days. Even in the AAP, where Councillor Wajid Khan is a strong contender for a second term, internal resentment is growing, and others are lining up to stake their claim to the ticket.
All things considered, Wajid is facing anti-incumbency, and chances are that whoever secures the Congress ticket from the Abul Fazal Enclave–Shaheen Bagh ward may have the upper hand, said another political observer.
