NEW DELHI: Living in small dwellings, struggling with basic amenities, and fearing communal tension are stories for many in the Trilokpuri assembly falling under the East Delhi constituency.
Trilokpuri’s modern history began in 1975-76 when the nearby slums were demolished, and the inhabitants relocated to the resettlement colony. However, according to residents, much had stayed the same since the 1990s. The quality of amenities and the quality of life remain the same.
Politically, the assembly has given a change to all major parties. It was ruled by the Congress from 1993 to 2003, BJP in 2008 and AAP from 2013 to present.
In the 2015 assembly elections, AAP’s Raju Dhingan defeated BJP’s Kiran Vaidya with around 30,000 votes. However, in the 2020 assembly polls, AAP changed its candidate and gave the ticket to Rohit Kumar Mehraulia, who defeated Kiran Vaidya of the BJP and Vijay Kumar of the Congress.
Trilokpuri, with a significant Dalit and Muslim population, recently witnessed communal tensions in 2014 when a clash erupted between the two communities over building a religious structure. The administration had imposed a month-and-a-half-long curfew in the area after the clashes.
In May last year, large-scale police personnel had to be deployed as a precautionary measure to stop any riot when two animals were found dead under mysterious circumstances. The assembly has 1,78,214 registered voters, of which 98,816 are male, 79,376 female, and 22 third-gender voters.
According to locals, there is a dire need for adequate public toilets, street lights, women’s safety and controlling theft and robbery. One of the residents, Roshni, said, “The biggest problem in our area is the toilet. I live in a tiny room. Neither I have the space nor money to build the toilet. I have to depend on the public toilet every time. In winters, it becomes more difficult to rush. Second is the water problems. The supply is irregular, but the drinking water sometimes smells.
The East Delhi constituency, comprising Trilokpuri, Kotla Village, Mayur Vihar, New Ashok Nagar, and Mayur Vihar Phase-I Extension, will go to the polls on May 25 in the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha elections.
The BJP has fielded Harsh Malhotra, the general secretary of the Delhi-BJP unit and Mayor of erstwhile East Delhi Municipal Corporation, while Kondli MLA will be contesting as the opposition INDIA bloc candidate on the AAP ticket.