Shafia Zubair Khan of the Congress has won the by-election from the Ramgarh constituency in Rajasthan’s Alwar, defeating BJP’s Sukhwant Singh by a margin of 12,228 votes. The counting went down to the wire - Khan led had a comfortable lead till the15th round but a few good rounds for Singh reduced the margin significantly. But Khan picked up again in the last two rounds.
With Khan’s win, Congress has now touched the halfway mark of 100 in the Rajasthan Assembly.
Since 1993, Ramgarh has essentially been a contest between Congress’ Zubair Khan, Shafia’s husband, and BJP’s Gyan Dev Ahuja. Zubair Khan who is now a secretary of the All India Congress Committee, holding the charge for Madhya Pradesh. Zubair Khan first won the seat in 1990, when he was just 26.
Khan’s win is significant as Ramgarh lies in the Mewat region where much of the Gau Rakshak related vigilantism has taken place. BJP leaders like Ahuja have actively supported Gau Rakshaks.
During the campaign, Khan stressed heavily on communal amity and visited a few temples to stress this message. Her husband Zubair Khan, who has won from this seat several times, has also made it a point to stress that Meo Muslims follow a syncretic culture combining both Hindu and Muslim elements. His supporters point out that Zubair Khan’s father had a Hindu sounding name - Bagh Singh.
Khan’s win is also important as it gives Congress an edge in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections that are due in three months.
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