Now, Muslims in Delhi lean towards AAP

March 31, 2014
New Delhi, Mar 31: With the balloting in Delhi barely ten days away, Muslims in the capital seem to be increasingly veering towards the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

AK

Although the Congress contests this publicly, Congress leaders admit privately that there is a major erosion of support for them among Muslims who may - unlike in the assembly election in December - now root for AAP.

A prominent Muslim leader, who did not wish to be named, said that the scenario may be true for many other parts of the country too.

When AAP won 28 of the 70 seats and went on to form a minority government, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said publicly that his party did not get the kind of Muslim support it had expected.

Indeed, four of the only eight seats the Congress won came from areas where Muslims live in large numbers.

But the situation is now changing, and radically, said AAP and Muslim leaders.

"During the assembly election, we got only 15-20 percent of all Muslim vote in Delhi," AAP leader Irfanullah Khan said. "In the Lok Sabha election, we expect this to zoom to at least 80 percent."

A well-known Muslim face in the Congress admitted that this may not be an exaggeration, in part because of the aggressive way Kejriwal and the AAP have taken on BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.

"Yes, there is erosion in our (Muslim) support base," said the Congress leader who did not want to be identified by name.

AAP candidates canvassing in the Lok Sabha election are also universally of the opinion that Muslims in Delhi - which has seven Lok Sabha seats - are leaning towards the AAP.

Khan, the AAP candidate who lost to the Congress in December from the Muslim assembly constituency of Okhla, said AAP has been interacting with Muslim intellectuals all over the country for a long time.

AAP leaders, including Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia, have been meeting Muslim academics, those in the corporate field, social activists, religious leaders, retired bureaucrats and former politicians, explaining the AAP ideology and its faith in secular values.

"We are charting a road map for Muslims. But the issues we raise with Muslims are not exclusively for them. These include matters of security, health and education. These are valid for all Indians," said Khan, a member of AAP's decision making core committee.

"So, we are not promising the moon to Muslims. Or making special promises to them. We are for oneness in this country."

He said the traditional Congress argument that Muslims must vote for the Congress "to stop the BJP" was no more finding many takers.

"We tell Muslims that it is we, AAP, who derailed the BJP in Delhi. In 22 assembly constituencies, the BJP finished second. Imagine if we were not there? All these seats would have gone to the BJP," he added.

Muslims make up 12-14 percent of Delhi's 16-18 million people. Traditionally, they have dominantly voted for the Congress in a city where voters had only two main parties to chose from: the Congress and the BJP.

The emergence of AAP has changed the scenario, more so because the party, founded only in November 2012, has gained support cutting across religious, ethnic, linguistic and economic groups.

Salim Engineer from Jaipur who is National Secretary for the Jamaat-e-Islam-i-Hind, said that Muslims were upset with the Congress.

"The Congress could not deliver the promises it made. The community wants a reliable alternative which we see in AAP."

A Muslim resident in south Delhi said: "Muslims have always voted for the lesser evil. That is why we voted for the Congress vis-a-vis the BJP. Now that AAP is there, why not vote for a party which looks good?"

The Congress visibly looks jittery vis-a-vis AAP in Delhi.

Almost every other day, the Congress presents to the media some people who it says are Muslims now disgusted with AAP.

The other day, a dozen men, said to be Muslims, dumped the trademark AAP white caps in the Congress office and donned stole designed on the Congress party's colours.

Says Jamaat's Engineer: "Our people are in touch with AAP. We are impressed by what we saw in Delhi. If they want to do good, why shouldn't we support them?"

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News Network
December 19,2025

Mangaluru: The Mangaluru CEN police have arrested a 23-year-old man for allegedly posting provocative and misleading content on an Instagram page named “mr_a_titude”, targeting the Bajpe police.

Mangaluru Commissioner of Police Sudheer Kumar Reddy C H identified the arrested as Abhishek M, a resident of Katipalla in Mangaluru.

A case has been registered at the Bajpe Police Station under Sections 353(1)(c), 353(2), 56, and 57 read with Section 189 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) in connection with the post.

According to police, the accused uploaded a photograph of a hotel on the Instagram page and alleged that accused persons in a murder case under the Bajpe police jurisdiction were being given “royal treatment” by the police, including being served beef meals daily from the hotel.

The post further accused the police of supporting criminals, misusing their authority, and betraying public trust. Police said the content was provocative in nature and aimed at inciting public outrage against the police.

Following the post, a case was registered at the Bajpe police station, and further investigation was transferred to the CEN police station.

Police records indicate that the accused has a criminal history, with multiple cases registered against him, including murder, attempt to murder, assault, and robbery at the Surathkal Police Station, and one case at the Kaup Police Station.

The Commissioner said the accused was traced and arrested using technical evidence.

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News Network
December 15,2025

Mangaluru police have arrested a 27-year-old NRI on his return from Saudi Arabia in connection with an Instagram post allegedly containing derogatory and provocative remarks about the Hindu religion, officials said on Monday.

The accused, Abdul Khader Nehad, a resident of Ulaibettu in Mangaluru, was working in Saudi Arabia when the post was uploaded, police said.

A suo motu case was registered at the Bajpe police station on October 11 after an allegedly offensive post circulated from the Instagram account ‘team_sdpi_2025’. Police said the content was flagged for being provocative and derogatory in nature.

During the investigation, technical analysis traced the Instagram post to Nehad, who was residing abroad at the time, a senior police officer said. Based on these findings, a Look Out Circular (LOC) was issued against him.

On December 14, Nehad arrived from Saudi Arabia at Calicut International Airport in Kerala, where he was taken into custody on arrival. Police said further investigation is underway.

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News Network
December 15,2025

Udupi, Dec 15: What was meant to be a post-pilgrimage gathering turned tragic in Padukere village of Brahmavar taluk, Udupi district, late Sunday night, when a clash among youths escalated into a fatal assault, leaving one man dead.

The victim has been identified as 30-year-old Santosh Mogaveera, a resident of Padukere.

According to preliminary information, the incident took place during a late-night drinking party involving a group of local youths who had recently returned after completing their pilgrimage to the Sabarimala shrine. An argument reportedly broke out among the group and soon escalated into a violent confrontation.

During the ensuing brawl, Santosh Mogaveera was allegedly assaulted and collapsed at the spot after sustaining serious injuries. He was rushed by local residents to a private hospital in Brahmavar, where doctors declared him dead.

On receiving information, senior police officials, including Brahmavar Circle Inspector Gopikrishna, Kota Police Sub-Inspector Praveen Kumar T, Station ASI Manthesh Jabagoudar, and head constables Pradeep and Ashok, visited the spot and conducted an inspection.

Police have taken four youths into custody in connection with the incident. A case has been registered at the Kota police station, and further investigation is underway to ascertain the exact sequence of events leading to the death.

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