LONDON (The Thursday Times) — Sadiq Khan ne London ke mayor ke intikhabat mein tareekhi fatah hasil kar li hai aur be-misal teesri muddat ke liye muntakhib ho gaye hain. Shadeed muqable wali intikhabi muhim ke baad Hafta ki dopahar unhein apni Conservative hareef Susan Hall ke muqable mein kamyab qarar diya gaya.
Sadiq Khan 10 lakh 88 hazar se zyada votes le kar London ke mayor ke taur par dobara muntakhib ho gaye. Unhon ne kul votes ka 43.7% hasil kiya aur apni qareebi hareef, Conservative ummeedwar Ms. Susan Hall par taqreeban 2 lakh 75 hazar votes ki bari akseeriyat hasil ki. Susan Hall ne 8 lakh 12 hazar se kuch kam votes liye, yaani 32.6%. Aaj din mein pehle, Labour Party ke sarbarah Sir Keir Starmer ne Mr. Khan ki kamyabi par aitmad ka izhar kiya aur zor diya ke Khan is ohde ke liye behtareen ummeedwar hain, kyunke woh apni pichhli 2 muddaton mein pehle hi kargar qiyadat ka muzahira kar chuke hain, aur unhein teesri muddat mein mazeed kamyabiyon ki ummeed hai.
Muhim ke dauran Khan ne polls mein apni bari bartari ko kam ahmiyat di aur muqable ko "do ghoron ki qareebi daur" qarar diya, halanke woh Hall se 25 points aage thay. Is hikmat-e-amali ka maqsad Labour ke hamiyon ko mutaharrik karna aur kam josheele voters ko intikhab mein hissa lene par amada karna lagta tha.
London Elects, jo mayor aur London Assembly ke intikhabat ki nigrani ka zimmedar idara hai, ne 40.5% voter turnout report kiya, jo 2021 se sirf 1.5% kam hai. Bexley aur Bromley ke halqe, jo Conservative ke garh hain, mein sab se zyada turnout 48% raha.
Khan ke camp mein aitmad us waqt barh gaya jab Labour ne North East aur West Central ke halqe Conservatives se chheen liye. Yeh aik ahem kamyabi thi jo aakhri nataij ke elan se 2 ghante se zyada pehle saamne aayi.
Election mein khaas taur par Juma ki raat kashida mahaul raha. Labour ke andar ke logon ne "24 ghante ka khala" bataya, jis ke dauran ginti rok di gayi thi, aur Conservative karkunon ko social media par yeh dawe chhaye rehne ka mauqa mila ke Hall tawaqqo se zyada mazboot ummeedwar hain aur raye shumari ki peshgoiyan bohat zyada ghalat thin. Is surat-e-haal ke baais Labour ke andar kuch logon ko yeh fikr lahaq hui ke muqabla tawaqqo se kahin zyada qareebi ho sakta hai.
Yeh election Conservatives ke nafiz kiye gaye raye dahi ke naye qawaid ke teht pehla election tha, jin mein first-past-the-post nizam ki taraf muntaqili aur voters ke liye polling stations par photo ID pesh karne ki shart shamil thi. Wasee paimane par in tabdeeliyon se Labour ko nuqsan hone ki tawaqqo ki ja rahi thi.
Muhim ke dauran Mr. Khan aur Ms. Hall ke darmiyan shadeed behsein aur takrao dekhne mein aaye, khaas taur par knife crime aur London mein Palestine ke hami marches ke intizam jaise masail par. Mr. Khan ne apni hareef ki sakht tanqeed ki thi aur unhein "sab se khatarnak ummeedwar jis ke khilaf main ne muqabla kiya hai" qarar diya tha, jis se un ka khaas ishara social media par un ke pichhle tarz-e-amal ki taraf tha. Jawab mein Ms. Hall ne apni pichhli ghaltiyan tasleem kin aur un se seekha, aur Mr. Khan ki tanqeed ko "nazeba" qarar diya.
Election mein ikhtilaf ka aik bara nukta Mr. Khan ka ultra low emission zone (ULEZ) ka phailao tha, jise shadeed mukhalifat ka samna karna para aur jis se ehtijaj shuru hue. Ms. Hall ne ULEZ khatam karne ke wade par muhim chalayi thi. Muhim mein Conservatives ki aik ghalti bhi samne aayi, jab unhein jurm ke mutaalliq Mr. Khan ke record ko nishana banane wali muhim ki video wapas leni pari, kyunke maloom hua ke us mein New York ke aik subway station par pesh aane wale aik betaalluq waqia ki footage shamil thi, jo election ke garm aur tanaza se bharpoor mizaj ko ujagar karti hai.
Labour ki muhim ka bohat zyada inhisar voter turnout par tha, aur Khan ki team ne jeet yaqeeni banane ke liye ise ahem qarar diya. Lekin khabron ke mutabiq Gaza par jamaat ke mauqif ne Oldham, Pendle aur Bolton jaise ilaqon mein doosre maqami intikhabat mein is ki himayat kamzor kar di. Is ke bawajood London ke voters ab bhi Labour ki himayat karte nazar aaye, shayad 7 October ke hamlon ke baad Khan ke fori jangbandi ke mutalbon se mutasir ho kar.
Labour ke activists ne tashweesh ka izhar kiya ke London ke shehri voters ko mehsoos hua ke jamaat ne apne bunyadi himayatiyon ko nazarandaz kiya tha. Yeh jazba us waqt samne aaya jab Keir Starmer ne Juma ko Blackpool, Hartlepool aur Thurrock mein ahem kamyabiyon ka jashn manaya.
Tanqeed Conservative safon ke andar se bhi aayi, jahan London ke aik Conservative MP ne Hall ki muhim ki mazammat ki ke is ne London ke liye wazeh aur musbat tasawur pesh karne ke bajaye Khan par zaroorat se zyada manfi tawajjoh di. Unhon ne un ke tareeqe ka muazna Conservative mayors Ben Houchen aur Andy Street ke tareeqe se kiya, jinhein aisi hi chunautiyon ka samna tha magar woh juratmandana aur nayi soch par mabni khayalat ke zariye kamyab rahe.
Jaise hi nateeje ki tasdeeq hui, Labour ne shumali England mein mayor ke intikhabat mein mazeed kamyabiyon ka jashn manaya. Steve Rotheram dobara Liverpool ke mayor muntakhib hue, Andy Burnham ne Greater Manchester mein aik aur muddat hasil kar li, aur Tracy Brabin West Yorkshire mein dobara muntakhib hui, jis se shehri markazon mein Labour ki mazboot karkardagi mazeed mustahkam hui.
