Delhi: Shaheen Bagh, Epicentre of CAA Protests, Sees Brisk Voting

The Election Commission had declared these polling booths as ‘critical’, ahead of the polling.

(Photo: Shadab Moizee/The Quint)

Video Editor: Ashutosh Bhardwaj
Video Producer: Hera Khan

All five polling stations in Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh, the epicentre of massive protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, witnessed brisk voting on Saturday, 8 February.

The Election Commission had declared these polling booths ‘critical’, ahead of the polling.

Long queues were seen outside the Shaheen Public School in Shaheen Bagh, which comes under the Okhla constituency, as early as 8 am.

The Aam Aadmi Party’s Amanatullah Khan is the sitting MLA and also the candidate for this election. He is up against Congress's Parvez Hashmi and Bharatiya Janata Party's Brahm Singh Bidhuri.

‘Voting For Vikas’

The people of Shaheen Bagh, who have been staging protests for the last 50 days, said that they are voting for “development.”

“People of Shaheen Bagh will vote on vikas and development. Look at the roads, hospital and the roads. Women get free rides in bus. The people are very smart and won’t vote on the basis of Shaheen Bagh or Pakistan.”

Mohammed Khan

Nahima, who cast her vote, said that she did not voted for her “rights and the rights of the nation.”

“I voted for those who worked for me. For those who gave me water and roads. And most importantly, voted because I am a citizen of India,” said a specially-abled person who had come to vote.

Ahead of the polls, Home Minister Amit Shah had urged the voters to cast their ballot for his party so that “current is felt in Shaheen Bagh.”