NEW DELHI: With only four days left for Rajendra Nagar by-polls, the campaign spree is on. Leaders are holding rallies and wooing people to vote for their parties claiming all that the respective parties have done for the area. The AAP has fielded its MCD in-charge Durgesh Pathak while, the BJP has nominated former councillor, Rajesh Bhatia, as its candidate. The Congress has fielded its former municipal councillor, Prem Lata. There has been a never-ending hype for the upcoming elections with endless campaigns, street plays, and social media drives being organised by several political parties.
To reach out to more people, parties have been using pictures of film actors to attract a crowd and gain votes from youngsters. Rajender Nagar constituency is a unique mix of the population with people from lower and upper-middle class, affluent avenues, jhuggi clusters and villages. The constituency has three villages — Dasgarha (dominated by Jats), Todapur (dominated by Yadav’s) and Naraina (mixed demography), and nearly 12 slum clusters.
Complaints of residents
The residents have complaints related to non-functioning of CCTV cameras and street lights, poor roads, choked sewer, lack of civic infrastructure, poorly maintained parks and an increase in crime. Many complained about daily thefts in the localities but no proper action being taken against it.
One of the residents said, “We get to hear about complaints regarding chain snatching, car, camera, bike thefts daily. The government did install the cameras but they don’t operate. Keeping in mind the safety concern, some gates should have guards, so people could feel secure.”
Meanwhile, a resident of Naraina village, Kushali Devi said, “We get happy only by the promises made by the leaders despite knowing that these will just remain promises and nothing will be done. We can’t recall last when some official visited the area to have a look at the condition of the roads.”
Profile of Durgesh Pathak
AAP’s MLA Durgesh Pathak is the youngest member of the AAP’s Political Affairs Committee. He is the National Organisation Building in charge of the party and played a key role in building a strong organisation in Delhi before the 2015 Assembly election. He reached Delhi from his village in Sikohara near Gorakhpur six years ago to prepare for the civil services examination. In 2011, he joined the Jan Lokpal movement and joined the Delhi Assembly elections in 2015.
Durgesh took part in campaigns of 35 constituencies and his party won 34 of them. He was later transferred to Punjab to set up a strong organisation ahead of the Punjab Assembly elections in February 2017. In Punjab, the party won a spectacular 24 per cent of the vote share and 20 seats in its debut election in the state.