NEW DELHI: Four years after communal violence jolted Northeast Delhi, residents hope the new government would focus on promoting harmony and ensuring development in the area.
According to voters in the Northeast Delhi constituency, it needs a better sewerage system, improved roads and cleanliness.
Ankur Sharma, brother of the Intelligence Bureau officer Ankit Sharma who was killed in the riots, said that whichever political party is voted to power, it should focus on maintaining the law and order and peace in the area.
“Memories of the riots haunt us. My parents would often break down remembering my brother and when we stepped out, people would talk to us about my brother,” he said.
The Northeast Delhi seat has 24,63,159 eligible voters, including over 11.36 lakh women.
One of the most vulnerable areas communally since the riots in 2020, Northeast Delhi is home to an approximate 21 per cent Muslim population. Despite such statistics, the constituency appears carefully divided along communal lines in regions including Mustafabad, Seelampur, Karawal Nagar and Ghonda, predominantly populated by Muslims.
It also has a sizable Purvanchali and Muslim (20 per cent) populations. The constituency comprises 10 assembly segments — Burari, Timarpur, Seemapuri, Rohtas Nagar, Seelampur, Ghonda, Babarpur, Gokalpur, Mustafabad and Karawal Nagar.
Unauthorised colonies, poor drainage, parking problems, connectivity issues due to bad roads, only one government hospital, and sanitation crisis, lack of open parks for children and availability of water which is usually unsuitable for drinking are the major concerning issues of the residents here.
Northeast Delhi will see a direct contest between two Purvanchalis — sitting BJP MP Manoj Tiwari and Congress’ Kanhaiya Kumar.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP had grown stronger with Manoj Tiwari fetching 53.86 per cent votes. Former chief minister Sheila Dikshit managed to bring the Congress back to some fight with 28.83 per cent, while AAP had a considerable dip with only 13.05 per cent.
Tiwari is eyeing a hat-trick this year. In 2019, he had defeated three-time chief minister Sheila Dikshit by a record margin of 3,66,102 votes.
However this year, 37-year-old Kanhaiya Kumar will be contesting from Northeast Delhi, even though he does not hail from the region. Kumar belongs to Bihar, but is a PhD degree holder from JNU.
However, the Northeast Delhi seat also has a large population of people who migrated from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Several residents said they perceive that Kumar’s candidature is more like an effort by the Congress party to consolidate Muslim votes.
Tiwari, campaigning in the area on Sunday, said the fight in his constituency is between those who promote ‘tukde-tukde’ (divisive) ideology and those who chant ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai.’
Meanwhile Kumar, while responding to an ink attack on him during a campaign, said it was done by Tiwari’s goons.