Former minister in the Sheila Dikshit government Arvinder Singh Lovely is contesting on BJP ticket from the Gandhinagar constituency. To accommodate Lovely, the BJP dropped its MLA Anil Kumar Bajpai from the seat.
He tells Ifrah Mufti that he is confident of his win, and plans to bring back his ‘Monorail’ proposal.
Excerpts:
With Naveen Choudhary from AAP and Kamal Arora from Congress, do you think it will be a tough fight this time?
I have a strong base in Gandhinagar. When I was with the Congress, I had won with the highest number of votes. Currently, I am with the strongest party of the country, and one can understand how the people must be feeling. When I am talking to the voters, there is a wave of agitation against the present dispensation. The voters want to see a government, which has the blessing of Modi ji and the Centre. The voters need a government which is reliable.
What is your vision for the constituency? Any new plans?
It is very unfortunate that like the rest of the city, Gandinagar residents are also fighting for basic amenities, including drinking water, toilet, clean sewerage etc. The people tell me that the road was built 10 years ago, and nothing was done after that. Drains are in poor condition, roads are broken, water is not worth drinking. They are seeking basic facilities.
I have contested so many times and won many times. Earlier, the people used to seek new things like engineering college, hospital, flyover, metro, depending on the area. It is for the first that from Gandinagar to Nangloi to Narela to Najafgarh, every constituency is facing similar issues. Everyone is saying, ‘fix the roards, clean the drains’. And who is to be blamed for this? It is the AAP. The party has demolished the administration.
Amid demands of basic amenities, what are the major challenges for you?
Everybody knows my working style. I connect with the people. The people know my capability. I need not explain this to any political party. The people are not even asking me if I am going to do anything or not because they trust me, and that is putting pressure on me. If I get the blessings of the people, it will put more pressure on me to perform well.
The Arvind Kejriwal government had announced that the Gandhi Nagar, Asia’s largest market hub, will be revamped. What happened to that proposal?
I was the one who initiated the plan of a commercial hub. That’s why Gandhinagar market was the only market which was never sealed. Kejriwal had announced that he would revamp Asia’s largest market, but not even a brick was put up in the last 10 years. I had also proposed another project for Monorail between Shastri Park to Mayur Vihar. Lakhs of people come to Gandhinagar, and they can use the public transport instead of driving their vehicles. The Kejriwal government scrapped the model. Once we will be voted to power, we’ll bring this project back. The project will not only reduce traffic burden, but also cut pollution.
How do you engage with people during your campaign? Is it purely political or you talk to them about developmental issues?
I just go to colonies and the congested lanes. Hundreds of women come out, join me in my campaign. Every other voter is telling me about their issues. I don’t have to say anything because it is the voter who is talking. I am there to listen to them. I am happy to see that they are showing faith in me and they are waving at me as if I am already a winner.