NEW DELHI: Largely populated by migrants from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Haryana, the Kirari area of northwest Delhi came up in the mid-90s across the railway lines at Nangloi and is full of broken roads, open drains and open garbage dumps.
The Vidhan Sabha constituency, consisting of haphazard cluster of colonies including Mubarakpur, Aman Vihar, Prem Nagar, Anand Nagar, village Nithari extension and Inder Enclave, is dotted with small and illegal factories manufacturing footwear, helmets and metal items. For those living in this low per capita income area in northwest Delhi, there is huge support for Aam Aadmi Party but many people seem rather unsure about their votes as even though they are impressed with the work done in the last five years, their MLA Rituraj Govind “hasn’t done much” for the welfare of the people in his constituency.
Some even said that Govind’s “lack of interest” in the infrastructural development of the area could translate their vote for AAP into BJP or NOTA (None of the above).A majority, however, said that the initiatives taken “to better” health, education and in provision of cheap basic amenities like electricity and water were “satisfactory”.Rohit Singh Nagar, 23, a Hari Enclave resident said: “The problem is our AAP candidate. He hasn’t done much. Otherwise, AAP is doing well in the state. The electricity and water are cheap. Buses are free for women. In our area, the drains are open. There is sewage waste on the roads. Roads are all broken.” Sapna from Kirari Suleman Nagar said: “DTC buses are free for us now...my daughters study at a government school here. The standard of education has got better,” said 39-year-old Sapna. She added that her demands from the next government would be sewer lines and roads.
For Nanak Chand, who runs a workshop of rods in Kirari village, AAP’s “anti-corruption” approach is “delightful”. “There was so much corruption earlier. We had to bribe officials at every step. Even while taking an entry to the market, I had to bribe the guards. Since AAP has come to power, that doesn’t happen anymore. Moreover, there is no tension about water and electricity bills,” he said.
For 22-year-old Dinesh Kumar, a resident of Aman Vihar, issues of “hygiene and cleanliness need attention”.Mohammad Khalil and his wife Shama, who lost their 14-year-old son in an accident two years back, there is “no hope” from any party or leaders. “We have been struggling to get justice...from one police station to the other...The law doesn’t favour the victim party. Why do we care about politics? Nobody did anything for us. We have to work hard for our bread and butter and leave the rest to the god,” said Shama. The polling for Delhi Assembly Election 2020 will be held on 8 February. There are 1,58,252 eligible voters in this constituency. AAP’s Govind defeated BJP’s Anil Jha in the last Assembly polls in 2015.