Lok Sabha Elections 2024: The parliamentary constituency of North West Delhi is gearing up for a showdown between two heavyweights of national politics — Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress. For the past two terms, the constituency has been a BJP hotbed.
Presently, the constituency has 25,67,423 voters, which has increased by around seven per cent since 2019. Among the voters, there are 11,83,450 females while the other bulk is formed by 13,83,711 males. There are 262 transgenders.
The constituency is suffering from multiple problems. However, the most contentious is the lack of connectivity between localities in the constituency and the better part of the national capital. Poor roads, waterlogging and a lack of educational institutions also are focal issues.
Presently, the BJP has fielded one of their most prominent Dalit faces in the national capital, Yogendra Chandolia, who has also served as the chairperson of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi’s (MCD) standing committee.
On the other hand, Congress has fielded Udit Raj, who had won the seat in 2014 on a BJP ticket.
Dhanupreet Singh, 22, has faced the brunt of a lack of connectivity in the constituency. Working as a pharmacist’s assistant in Rohini, Singh is a resident of Kanjhawala village on the outskirts of the national capital.
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However, even being a part of the constituency, daily travel from his residence to workplace is time taking.
“We are as much voters as people in Rohini are. Our vote’s value is no less but what do we have to show for that? They are building an expressway right in front but it has been under construction for a long time. The nearest metro is almost six kilometres away, which basically means that we can barely visit any other part of Delhi,” he said.
On the other hand, Bittu Sharma, 32, expressed disdain at the state of roads which makes driving his auto-rickshaw difficult across the terrain.
“I stay in Bawana and there are more potholes than roads there. I do not know who will come to power in the elections but somebody has to fix this. It is not just Bawana but also areas near Rohini Sector 20,” he said.
Moreover, areas such as Mangol Puri are facing issues related to heavy traffic congestion along the market side during weekdays owing to the narrow lanes.
Rafiq Ali, 42, who sets up shop at the market area near Block T on a daily basis, said the congestion has started affecting his business.
“There is traffic jam almost every day, especially on Thursdays when the market sees more footfall, but nowadays with more traffic jams, most people are trying to stay away. As it is, online delivery stores have already started to eat up our customer base. Whoever comes to power next has to widen the roads or just set up a different place for us,” he said.
Similarly, Satish Chaurasia, a resident of Rithala village, highlighted how monthly visits of police personnel to roadside hawkers and stall owners was detrimental to their business but nobody lifted a finger to help.
“Anybody who comes to power has to look into how police officers extort money from us. The only reason why we are here on the roadside is because we do not have the means to set up shop elsewhere. I will shift if they find me a place and help me set up shop, but the government has to help,” he said.
The constituency is comprised of Narela, Badli, Rithala, Bawana, Mundka, Kirari Sultanpur Majra, Nangloi Jat, Mangol Puri and Rohini assembly constituencies.
