NEW DELHI - At Shaheen Bagh, an unremarkable locality in Delhi, the top issue in the state election tomorrow is repeal of the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) passed by the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Usually, local issues like water supply are key in state elections and this is likely to be the case in many other parts of Delhi.
But not so in Shaheen Bagh which was thrust into the national limelight after women, young and old, spontaneously took to the streets to protest against the CAA, which allows for the fast-tracking of Indian citizenship for non-Muslims from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
"I won't get up from this protest site till the CAA is repealed. That is the main issue for me," said Ms Noor u Nisa, 70, one of over 200 women protesters involved in a public sit-in for over 2½ months.
The CAA is a core issue for Mr Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is in power at the federal level and is behind the citizenship law.
The BJP has denounced the CAA protests, particularly in Shaheen Bagh, as "anti-national".
"There is a design of politics behind it, which is going to ruin the harmony of the nation," Prime Minister Narendra Modi told a rally in Delhi on Monday.
The fight in the election in the capital is between the BJP and the incumbent Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which remains the front runner.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, an anti-corruption crusader turned politician, has managed to improve infrastructure in critical areas like education and health. Sops like free electricity and water have also earned him plaudits among residents.
In 2015, AAP won 67 seats in the Delhi poll, while the BJP, which had just swept into power through a landslide in a general election a year earlier, managed to secure only three seats.
A poll released by Times Now news channel and conducted by Ipsos, a global market research and consulting firm, predicted that AAP would win between 54 and 60 seats on Saturday and the BJP between 10 and 14 seats. Even some BJP supporters in Delhi are tilted in favour of AAP.
"What I like about Kejriwal is that he has improved government schools and has introduced clinics where I can get free treatment," said Mr Surender Mahto, 28, an auto rickshaw driver and the father of three school going children.
"The Prime Minister can take care of security and other national issues. But for Delhi, Aam Aadmi Party should be fine."
The Delhi poll has also turned nasty, with two men arrested for shooting incidents. In one, the gunman opened fired on anti-CAA protesters at Jamia Millia Islamia University, injuring a protester. The other gunman fired into the air at Shaheen Bagh.
Critics have accused the BJP of instigating violence but the party said it had nothing to do with them.
Analysts said the BJP's focus on Shaheeh Bagh was clearly an attempt to blunt the AAP's development pitch.
"Shaheen Bagh is being used as an example by the BJP for the larger narrative, which is the country is in danger; that there are anti social elements in this country and that they are trying to divide like the anti CAA protestors," said Prof Sanjay Kumar, director of the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS).
"Their narrative is security should take priority over developmental work. It has made some impact."
