NEW DELHI: Nestled in the heart of Delhi, Rajendra Nagar emerged as a sanctuary for Punjabi refugees from Pakistan post-partition.
Over the years, it has transformed into a bustling educational hub, attracting thousands of students annually who are eager to prepare for various government exams, particularly the UPSC.
The locality is replete with coaching centres, alongside supporting establishments like restaurants, bookstores, libraries, and numerous paying guest accommodations. However, the surge in the student population has not been warmly received by all.
Long-standing residents have seen their tranquility disrupted. “Rajendra Nagar once was a serene residential colony, but now it’s swamped with students, causing severe traffic congestion,” laments Kartar Singh, a long-time inhabitant. Alongside traffic woes, residents grapple with erratic water supply, overflowing sewers, and roads marred by potholes. The nearby locales of Pandav Nagar and Budh Nagar face similar distress.
The political landscape of the Rajendra Nagar assembly constituency has seen notable shifts. Originally a BJP bastion, the area came under AAP’s control when Vijendra Garg clinched the seat in 2013 with 53.59% of the vote. The subsequent elections bolstered AAP’s presence, with Raghav Chaddha winning in 2020 with 57.06% of the votes.
Following Chaddha’s move to the Rajya Sabha, AAP’s Durgesh Pathak sustained the party’s dominance in a 2022 by poll, defeating BJP’s Rajesh Bhatia by a margin of 12,000 votes. In the broader political arena, Rajendra Nagar is part of the New Delhi Lok Sabha constituency, secured by BJP’s Meenakshi Lekhi in 2014 and 2019 by substantial margins.
The BJP has introduced a new candidate, Bansuri Swaraj, a distinguished Supreme Court lawyer and daughter of the late Union Minister and Delhi Chief Minister Sushma Swaraj. Bansuri Swaraj faces a formidable opponent in the INDIA alliance candidate, AAP’s Somnath Bharti, a seasoned politician who has triumphed in three consecutive elections from the prominent Malviya Nagar assembly constituency.
The interplay of inadequate water supply0, persistent traffic congestion, and crumbling infrastructure, alongside the shifting political dynamics, are crucial elements set to shape voter attitudes in Rajendra Nagar as the constituency approaches a pivotal election.
The elections in the national capital wil be held on May 25, in the sixth phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha polls with the counting of votes of June 4. All seven seats of the Delhi are presently ruled by the BJP.