Lok Sabha Polls: Crime, traffic snarls key concerns in West Delhi

Residents of West Delhi are demanding improved crime situation and a solution to road congestion. The constituency is set to witness a fierce battle between BJP’s Kamaljeet Sehrawat and Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP’s) candidate Mahabal Mishra.

Rakesh Kumar Sharma, a 55-year-old resident of Ashok Park Main, said that crime is surging in the area. Cases of theft and break-in are news of everyday.

“Apart from this, there is a major problem of parking in the locality and it is very difficult for an individual to maintain car. People have to think before buying a car as there is no dedicated parking space in the area,” said Sharma.

Sonia Suneja, a resident of Rajouri Garden, was stressed over road congestion in the area as she gets late for office regularly.

“I get stuck in jam while going to office. The traffic situation is getting worse as each day is passing,” she said.

“Sanitation is also not up to mark. There is garbage everywhere. No dustbins are installed in the area, especially in the markets,” Sonia asserted.

Ishika Jain, resident of Indira Camp said that both AAP and BJP make tall claims before elections about regularisation of unauthorised colonies, but after winning, they do not fulfil their promises.

“After elections no one comes to see the situation of the locality. There is huge water shortage in the area. The water supply remains interrupted and we have to wait in long queues to store the basic amenity as the tanker arrives once in a week. We need nearly 200 litres of water to carry out our day-to-day activities. Imagine, how hard it is for us live in JJ clusters in the Capital,” said Ishika.

The West Delhi constituency encompasses 10 assembly segments: Madipur (SC), Rajouri Garden, Hari Nagar, Tilak Nagar, Janakpuri, Vikaspuri, Uttam Nagar, Dwarka, Matiala, and Najafgarh, representing a blend of rural and urban voters.

According to the 2011 census, Hindi was the first language for 75.46% of the population, while Punjabi accounted for 14.52%. Bhojpuri, Urdu, and Rajasthani constituted 1.66%, 1.32%, and 1.06% respectively as the primary languages spoken.

There are colonies with a notable Punjabi population in the urban areas of West Delhi constituency. However, these voters have generally been evenly distributed among BJP and its opposing parties. Colonies such as Tilak Nagar, Hari Nagar, Rajouri Garden, Janakpuri, Vikaspuri, and Dwarka also have a significant number of Sikh voters.

Additionally, some colonies like Khyala harbour survivors of the anti-Sikh riots of 1984 and individuals who fled terrorism in Punjab.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, BJP MP Parvesh Verma secured victory with an impressive winning margin of nearly 5,70,000 votes.