NEW DELHI: Badarpur, a constituent of the South Delhi Lok Sabha seat, came to about in 2008 with the implementation of the recommendations of the 2002 Delimitation Commission.
Divided into four municipal wards, Jaitpur, Mithapur, Badarpur and Molarband, the constituency includes Badarpur village, Molarband village, Gautum Puri, Bilaspur Camp, Mohan Baba Nagar, Hari Nagar, Saurabh Vihar, Jaitpur Extension, Tajpur village, DDA Flats Colony and Lakhpat Colony among others. The constituency has a sizable number of Gujjar electorates.
In 2020, the BJP retained the seat with Ramvir Singh Bidhuri trumping over the AAP candidate Ram Singh Netaji on a narrow margin of 3,719 votes.
Cut to 2023, amid the glitz and glamour of the G20 Summit, the Delhi Development Authority bulldozed around 150 shanties at a slum in Badarpur village. Hundreds of families, rendered homeless after the “crackdown on illegally occupied land”, were forced to take shelter under flyovers. Most of them are employed as daily-wager or domestic helps.
Situated on the city border, Badarpur lacks basic civic amenities including water and sewerage, with open drains running amock, spilling onto roads. There is dearth of potable water supply and people have to depend upon the erratic arrivals of water tankers.
A lot of complaints related to crime, snatching and theft are reported on a daily basis. A local resident, Alisha John, told us, “Badarpur comes last in terms of safety on roads. There is hardly any policing around this area and the roads are lying in shambles. My husband was returning from his office at around 7 pm when he fell from the bike because of poor roads and at the same time a group of bikers taking advantage of his predicament, snatched away his engagement ring, his expensive watch and wallet. They even hit him with the helmet when he tried to defend himself. We lodged a complaint but nothing happened. We have to be cautious at all the time.”
In Badarpur, the political fight has never been between the parties but between the two candidates, Ram Singh Netaji and Rambir Singh Bidhuri, who have switched parties often, voters across the constituency believe.