Posh New Delhi not so different

To an outsider the ‘high profile’ New Delhi constituency, from where two of the three chief ministerial candidates are contesting elections this time, gives a rosy picture of infrastructural development, better public transport, well-maintained roads and lanes. But a closer look tells a different story.

As one moves from the posh Lutyens’ Zone, Golf Links and Parliament Street to jhuggi jhopri clusters in Kali Bari Marg and Tughlaq Camp, not to forget servants’ quarters in Princess Park, Sangli and B R Camp, the grim reality of lack of basic facilities starts to unearth.

“Our area falls under the chief minister’s constituency, but nobody pays attention to our needs. We don’t even have enough toilets and no arrangements for adequate water supply,” says Rani, a slum dweller in Kali Bari.

The electorate of this constituency, be it a slum dweller or a government employee, wants reduction in prices of vegetables, water and electricity, which forms the core of their demands.

According to a government employee who lives in Lodhi Colony, increase in prices has affected every household alike. “With rise in prices of basic commodities as onions and tomatoes, people have started to cut on consumption of other items. The hike in prices has affected my budget and now I buy only half kg of any vegetable,” the 48-year-old says.

It has become impossible for the poor to even have two meals a day, says Rani. “The rising prices of vegetables have added insult to injury. Pulses are out of our kitchen for long, and now potatoes, which form a major chunk of our staple, is becoming unaffordable. What are we suppose to eat then?” she adds.

“Politicians are only seen in slums during elections. For a month or so they pretend to be our well-wishers, but as and when the polls are over they disappear and are never to be found again.”

Pressing issues

The common perception about the New Delhi constituency is that it is not plagued by the problems that other areas of the city are grappling with, such as bad roads and poor infrastructure.

True, a lot of thought has been put into the infrastructural aspects in the constituency. This in turn makes the the conventional ‘development’ card irrelevant. But the people do have other issues, including those relating to the bare roti, kapada, makaan problems.

“We don’t want better roads or shopping malls. We want more job opportunities to earn a livelihood,” says Yogesh Srivastava, an unemployed graduate.

Though one may not think that security in this ‘high profile’ constituency can be an issue, the reality is that women don’t feel safe travelling alone late in the evening. “Though the areas here are fully lit at night, roads get deserted, which creates fear in our minds to go out alone,” says Trisha Tripathi, a homemaker who lives in Jor Bagh. “At times a police patrol is hard to spot.”

And in some ways, this constituency is like any other part of the city. Traffic problems, for instance, dent its `developed' image.

Mandir Marg, Talkatora Road, Mother Teresa Crescent, Laxmibai Nagar, Sarojini Nagar, Bengali Market and Parliament Street are affected by the ever-increasing traffic problem.

“Over the years, New Delhi area has become the hub of traffic snarls giving a hard time to commuters. If you want to reach office at 9 am, you have to start at 7.30 am or else you will find yourself stranded in a traffic snarl,” says Gurcharan Singh, who takes Mandir Marg daily to reach office. “Why doesn’t the city government do something about the issue?”

Big contest

Sheila Dikshit is eyeing the chief ministerial slot for the fourth time from this constituency. She has   won the New Delhi seat, known as Gole Market prior to delimitation in 2008, three times on the trot.

That year Dikshit was pitted against BJP's Vijay Jolly, whom she defeated by a margin of 18 per cent of the total valid votes cast. In 2008, 43 out of 70 Assembly seats went into the Congress kitty, whereas arch-rival BJP won 23 seats and the Bahujan Samaj Party managed to get two.

While AAP is a newcomer, BJP has announced Harsh Vardhan as the chief ministerial candidate. The battle for the New Delhi constituency will be an interesting one to watch as AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal too goes all out against Dikshit.