NEW DELHI: With the entry of former deputy chief minister and senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Manish Sisodia, the Jangpura assembly constituency has attained the status of “high-profile” seat.
His decision to shift to the seat, which was once considered a Congress stronghold, didn’t surprise many as Sisodia narrowly missed defeat in Patparganj in the last election.
The constituency comprising significant presence of Muslims (16.3%) and Punjabis (11.2%) is likely to witness triangular contest as the Congress has nominated former mayor Farhad Suri and the BJP picked Congress turncoat Tarvinder Singh Marwah, who has won the seat thrice in 1998, 2003 and 2008.
In 2020, Praveen Kumar of the AAP won the seat by defeating BJP’s Impreet Singh Bakshi. Besides posh neighbourhoods of south Delhi, including Lajpat Nagar, Nizamuddin (East) and Sundar Nagar, parts the Walled City Daryaganj, urbanised villages like Kilokari, Bhogal, Nizamuddin Basti and Ashram also falls under Jangpura.
Suri is a four-time councilor and represented Darya Ganj ward. He once unsuccessfully contested the assembly election from Okhla. His mother Tajdar Babar was also a respected figure in political circles. She was elected to the assembly from the erstwhile Minto Road seat.
With Sisodia in fray, allegations and counter-allegations are being made by the contestant. Marwah, who has been demanding Sisodia to vacate the seat, termed him an outsider.
Like rest of the city, major issues concerning the assembly are lack of parking facilities, broken streets, poor sanitation, and sewage. Residents also complain about the late night loud music and lack of greenery within the residential areas.
One of the residents of Jangpura, Anandita Sharma, said, “There are a lot of paying guests in my lane and they come at odd timings. It is such a disturbance throughout the night, some or the vehicle coming inside the lanes. It is very disturbing. We can’t control their timings but I believe there should be certain restrictions at the entrance after particular timings. Entry and exit of the PGs should be monitored.”
Referring to the parking issue in the area, another resident Saira Khan said that it had led to quarrels some times.
“Every now and then we see people fighting over parking of their cars at a particular spot. If they park their cars at a specific location, they’ll feel that it is their property. I really don’t know how this issue can be resolved. The concerned agency should be given this charge to handle the parking issue.”
Waterlogging is another troubling issue in some parts.