NEW DELHI, 10 May 2004 — Allegations of attempt to bribe voters surfaced in the capital yesterday, one day before Delhiites go to the polls. Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party candidates for the capital’s Sadar constituency traded charges of trying to bribe voters with gifts of saris.
Congress’ Jagdish Tytler tipped off police that his BJP rival Vijay Goel was distributing saris to the poor for their votes. Police seized 12 saris after raiding a slum colony. Goel denied the charge and said it was in fact Congress which was distributing saris.
Tytler shot back: “If that were the case, why hasn’t he (Goel) filed any charges against Congress? On our part, as soon as we learned of the sari distribution, we notified the police as well as the Election Commission.”
Tytler alleged that Goel had been distributing saris for the last few days and Congress workers were waiting to catch them red-handed.
Police said they were investigating Devendra Singh, one of Goel’s security officers, for involvement in the distribution of saris.
Irrespective of the impact of the allegations on today’s voting, an informal survey indicates that the tide is in favor of Congress in the capital. The party seems to be a clear favorite among Muslims and lower middle class and lower class Hindus.
With images of the Gujarat killings still fresh in their minds, Muslim voters are determined to use their vote as a political weapon against the BJP. They will vote Congress, according to the survey.
While Muslims form around 10 percent of the city’s population, their presence is higher in Old Delhi. In Chandni Chowk, for instance, Muslims form 44 percent of the population.
The fate of Congress candidates in these areas rests more on the Muslim voters’ determination to support Congress than on the candidates’ stature or credibility. Independent candidates are unlikely to cut into Congress votes in these areas.
The BJP has lost its “shine” among poor Hindus. Hindu slum dwellers fear their unauthorized houses and shops would be razed if the BJP were to return to power. They do not think this would happen if Congress wins.
Fear of losing earnings has also alienated lower middle class Hindus from the BJP. A self-employed electrical engineer, who assembles air-conditioners, inverters and television sets, said his earnings had plummeted since the BJP opened the market for electrical appliances to foreign firms. Anil, the electrical engineer, says his workers now do only minor repairs.
This, he says, will prompt him and thousands of others like him to vote Congress.
However, the BJP remains strong in areas in South and West Delhi which are populated mostly by middle class Hindus.
