NEW DELHI: The communal clashes that erupted in northeast Delhi in 2020 has probably had little to no effect on the voters who reached polling stations on Saturday to exercise their franchise in the Lok Sabha polls.
“We witnessed the riots upfront; others have probably forgotten those terrible times and moved on. However, the current issues are inflation and unemployment; that’s what people are grappling with; that’s what they will cast their vote on,” 55-year-old Mohammed Saleem told us.
Everyone wants better facilities and a better future for their children, he says. “Any government who will work towards it, our vote will go to them. This is an area with mixed population; both communities have lived here happily and will continue to live with the same fraternity even tomorrow,” said Saleem.
Bloodshed, arson, rioting, shops looted, properties destroyed, these were the scenes in the national capital four years back.
Northeast Delhi was struck by multiple waves of communal violence in February 2020 that tore the social fabric of the city; 54 people were killed either in lynching incidents, stabbings or even more brutally. Among the deceased, around 40 people belonged to the minority community. The 2024 general elections are the first polls after the communal riots in the northeast Delhi, home to an estimated 29.34% Muslim population, spread across multiple areas. The constituency comprises 10 segments, including Burari, Timarpur, Seemapuri (SC), Rohtas Nagar, Seelampur, Ghonda, Babarpur, Gokalpur (SC), Mustafabad, and Karawal Nagar. Of the 10, only three are held by the BJP, while the remaining have AAP MLAs.
A young woman named Isa Fatima says she wants to see perceptable changes in society and has voted on issues like inflation and unemployment. The riots, she said, have now taken a back seat. “We need good education, better healthcare. Women’s safety should be our topmost priority,” she said.
Remnants of violence
The 2024 Lok Sabha elections are the first polls after the communal riots in northeast Delhi, home to an estimated 29.34% Muslim population. Northeast Delhi saw multiple waves of communal clashes in February 2020; 54 people were killed. Among them, around 40 belonged to the minority community.