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One vote no one wants

Imam's decision gave the BJP much needed ammunition and an opportunity to go hammer and tongs against "Kejriwal party's polarising tactics". In the Lok Sabha election, BJP had successfully turned the tables against the Congress when the Imam issued a similar appeal in favour of the grand old party after a meeting with its president Sonia Gandhi.

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Imam Bukhari
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Even Shahi Imam of Delhi Jama Masjid, Syed Ahmed Bukhari, couldn't resist ignore the edge pre-poll surveys gave to Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Admi Party (AAP) over the BJP in the Delhi assembly elections, if his eleventh-hour fatwa to the community members is anything to go by. However, the Imam was left red-faced and isolated when the AAP publicly announced that the party doesn't need his support as they are opposed to his brand of "dangerous communal politics".

According to sources, the Imam, who in 2014 Lok Sabha elections had issued a similar fatwa in favour of the Congress, took a last minute decision in favour of AAP after sensing that the fight has narrowed down to the BJP and AAP, and in case the latter wins, he would be left in the cold.

The imam also had an axe to grind with Shoaib Iqbal, who had fallen out with him and with whom he wanted to settle scores. A five-time MLA from Matia Mahal, Iqbal is contesting on a Congress ticket this time.

Imam's decision gave the BJP much needed ammunition and an opportunity to go hammer and tongs against "Kejriwal party's polarising tactics". In the Lok Sabha election, BJP had successfully turned the tables against the Congress when the Imam issued a similar appeal in favour of the grand old party after a meeting with its president Sonia Gandhi.

Sensing the danger, AAP leaders Sanjay Singh, Ashish Khetan and Ashutosh met reporters, denying any ties with Imam. "We are fighting this election with the support of the common man, be it the Muslim, the Hindu, the Sikh or the Christian. All their needs are the same when it comes to electricity, water and basic civic amenities," Ashutosh said.

They also pointed out that the Imam had supported different parties at different times, according to his needs. Giving an example of his 'communal politics', AAP even criticised the Imam for not inviting Prime Minister Narendra Modi to his son's anointing ceremony as the deputy Imam, but calling the Pakistani Prime Minister instead. This, they said, was disrespecting the dignity of the status of the country's PM.

Finance minister Arun Jaitley, who took on the AAP at a news conference at the BJP headquarters on Friday, said those opposed to the fatwa should vote. "Such fatwas have been there earlier also. In Gujarat too it was there and I had said that those opposed to fatwas should come out and vote 100 per cent," he said when asked about the Imam's appeal. Jaitley described the Delhi election as a "choice between governance and anarchy" and dubbed AAP as a party "more comfortable on the streets than in offices."

The Imam's appeal has come close on the heels of Kejriwal taunting BJP over US President Barack Obama's remarks that if Mahatma Gandhi was alive, the acts of religious intolerance in India would have shocked him.

When asked about Obama's comments, Jaitley said aberrations do not alter the country's history of religious tolerance. "The best example of religious tolerance in India was sitting next to President Obama when he made the statement – the Dalai Lama. Even he found it comfortable and India found it comfortable to absorb him in the society here," Jaitley said.

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