01/04/2026
in Kasba Assembly Constituency
Today was my second day in the Kasba constituency. I spent time in the picnic garden area of Ward 66. The stretch I was in is locally understood as a largely Hindu-dominated belt. But once again, what I saw was not people constantly speaking in terms of identity. Conversations were about access, everyday problems, and who people approach when something needs to be resolved.
I also heard Faiz Ahmed Khan speaking to party workers. It was not a public rally but more of an internal discussion. He focused on SIR on names, documents, and making sure people are not left out of the process. The emphasis was practical and grounded rather than abstract political rhetoric. Later I came accross a a statement from a local resident who said something very plainly and with a tint of humour.
“Yahan lawyers khush nahi hote.”
The explanation was simple. Almost all the disputes, especially family disputes, are taken to political offices of Javed Ahmed Khan instead of courts. People go there regularly, and issues get settled there.
I am not adding any judgment here. I am simply noting what I heard.
It made me think about how politics functions in everyday life, not just as governance, but as access.
While moving through these spaces, another thought stayed with me: the question of women’s presence. As a woman, I was able to move, speak, observe, and document without much resistance. That stayed with me because it is not something I take for granted.
And this is where a comparison began to form in my mind.
In states like Uttar Pradesh, the conversation around women’s safety has been politically very strong. There have been repeated claims about improved law and order. Yet the data tells a more complicated story.
According to NCRB data, Uttar Pradesh recorded over 65,000 crimes against women in 2022, the highest in the country. Cases of kidnapping, domestic violence, and sexual violence remain significantly high.
Several incidents reported in recent years have also raised serious concerns about accountability and protection.
For instance, the BJP MLA from Duddhi, Ram Dular Gond, was convicted and sentenced to 25 years’ imprisonment for repeatedly ra**ng a 15-year-old minor. There was also the widely reported IIT-BHU gang-rape case, where the arrest of the accused, Kunal Pandey, Anand (alias Abhishek Chauhan), and Saksham Patel came only after significant delay and public pressure.
In other cases, disturbing patterns have emerged where videos of sexual assault were circulated online, and in one such case a minor survivor died by su***de after the video went viral.
These incidents raise difficult questions about justice, accountability, and the moral authority of those who claim to speak about women’s safety.
I am not bringing this up to draw a simplistic comparison between states. But when one is observing spaces closely, it becomes difficult to ignore how different environments can feel.
In Kasba, at least in my limited experience over these two days, I was able to occupy space without immediate friction. That does not mean the space is perfect or free of problems. But it does say something about how accessible it felt.
This connects to a larger concern.
Across many constituencies in India, especially in states like Uttar Pradesh, Muslim political representation often becomes fragmented. Multiple candidates are fielded, votes get divided, and in the end representation weakens. This is not only about leadership. It also affects how communities experience political power.
In Bengal, this concern is always present in the background.
Which is why I am trying to understand what might be different here.
From what I am observing so far, Javed Ahmed Khan appears to be a candidate whose presence is not restricted to one section of the constituency. The engagement seems more spread out across different parts of the area.
This is not blind support. It is an attempt to understand why something feels different.
For me, the starting point is simple.
Do people feel included?
Do they feel they can approach power?
Do they feel their rights are secure?
These are still early observations. I am still trying to connect what I see on the ground with what the data shows.
But for now, one thing seems clear.
On the ground, politics is not only about speeches or claims.
It is about how ordinary people experience it in their everyday lives.
And that is what I am trying to pay attention to.
Faiz Ahmed Khan Fan Club
