These voters now live elsewhere in city; both Congress and the BJP have mobilised their leaders to garner their support.
The nearly 72,000 voters of Khadia will vote in the by-election on Monday to decide the fate of five candidates in the fray. Observers say it is a direct fight between the Bharatiya Janata Party's candidate Bhushan Bhatt and the Congress's Jagat Shukla.
Khadia has been a BJP bastion for the last 40 years but this time it is neck-and-neck race between the two parties. In such a delicately poised contest, the votes of around 11% Khadia voters who now live elsewhere may well prove decisive.
The BJP is betting on the support of the voters of Khadia and Raipur while the Congress has pinned its hopes on minority voters of Raikhad. The bigwigs of both the parties are walking down the narrow streets of the heritage-rich constituency canvassing for their respecting candidates.
There are more than 4,000 people who are registered as voters in Khadia but have migrated to other parts of the city. These Khadia voters will be crucial for the both the parties, particularly the BJP.
This is why the saffron party has done some micro-level planning to garner these votes. It has prepared a list of voters that now live elsewhere and has traced them out.
Further, the corporators of the areas where these voters now live have been asked to contact them and ensure that each vote is cast in favour of the BJP.
While more than 4,000 voters have migrated from Khadia-Raipur, the number of nearly 2500 voters from the minority community has increased. This is causing concern for the saffron party.
"The voters that now live elsewhere are so crucial that even the chief minister's office is constantly keeping in touch with each corporator who has been entrusted with the responsibility of ensuring their votes," a source in the BJP said.
Sources further said that the result of the poll could go either way. All depends on how many voters really turn up to vote on Monday. Sources in both the main party's expect around 45-50% voter turnout.
The Congress stands a good chance if around 65% voters in Raikhad come out to vote, said sources in the Congress. On the other hand, the BJP will be sure of victory if the voter turnout crosses 50% mark, said sources in the party.
The results of the Khadia by-poll may not be important from an administrative point of view as it will not affect the BJP's position in the state assembly but it will definitely have an impact on the confidence of both the parties as they prepare for the assembly elections in 2012.
If the Congress wins the seat, it will have made history. If it loses, it will be a big blow to its confidence as it has everything it can to win the election.
The Khadia assembly seat was held by the late BJP leader Ashok Bhatt for 40 years. However, Bhatt's winning margin had continued to decrease with each passing election.
The results of the election will be announced on February 16, 2011.
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