Like in the last election, Malviya Nagar constituency has once again become the battleground of heavyweight contestants making it a tough triangular contest.
Somnath Bharti, former legislator and minister in Delhi government, is leading the charge with a very visible and audible campaign, involving volunteers from Punjab and local residents.
The BJP has relied on the popularity of homoeopath and social worker Nandini Sharma, who is the consulting homoeopath of the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
She has never won an election. But by losing the last civic poll for Hauz Rani ward by just 112 votes – enough to give the jitters to her Congress rival – she forced the BJP leaders to stand up and take note of her potential to demolish the Congress advantage in some of the Muslim-dominated pockets.
Being the lone woman candidate among the three big parties, a doctor and a Brahmin add to her political weight.
The Congress has fielded its old warhorse and former deputy speaker Yoganand Shastri who is sure to attract the Jat voters, apart from Muslims and slum dwellers, in villages like Hauz Khas, Humayun Pur, Begampur, Adchini, Ber Sarai and Kalu Sarai.
Home to top academic institutions like the Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi and the National Institute of Fashion Technology, the Malviya Nagar constituency has an interesting mix of urban villages, slums and upper middle-class colonies like Green Park, Safdarjung Enclave, Gulmohar Park, Niti Bagh, Malviya Nagar, Sarvodaya Enclave and Geetanjali Enclave.
The slums around Begampur village, Hauz Rani, Malviya Nagar, Gautam Nagar and Arjun Nagar are densely populated areas which can turn the tide in favour of any candidate.
The problems in the area vary according to the economic status of its residents. Water shortage, encroachment, bad roads, sanitation, congestion in markets, parking problem in the residential areas and power cuts are some issues that the residents want to be resolved.
Privatisation of water supply and the allegedly inflated water bills are big issues. Some areas in Malviya Nagar, which was created in 1953 for refugees from Pakistan, have sewer and water pipelines that are over five decades old.
Security issues and illegal activities by foreign nationals, especially from Africa, was an issue which was taken up by Bharti in 2014 but in a rather controversial style of “raiding” houses of those suspected of involvement in drugs and sex racket.
Bharti knew from the day Arvind Kejriwal government quit on February 14 last year, that he will get a renomination from the seat. He has been meeting his supporters in various parks in early morning rounds to maintain his relationship with them.
“Corruption is at the bottom of ills and once we remove that, people will feel the difference in all walks of life,” said Bharti, a lawyer by profession.
For Gulmohar Park resident Santosh Rao, the main problem is security and proper maintenance of the parks. “There have been several incidents of thefts in the area,” he said. Nitin Srivastav of Hauz Khas complained about the increasing congestion in the colony and the erratic water and power supply.
“Builders are moving into the colony to increase the number of dwelling units in each plot. This is causing shortage of water supply.”
Nandini Sharma and Shastri, an academic, are neighbours in Geetanjali Colony but during the election, they have turned into worthy foes.
Krishna Devi, a patient who regularly takes medicine from Sharma’s charitable clinic, said: “This time, she will win. In the last civic polls, she missed the victory mark narrowly.”
Apart from the BJP’s chief ministerial candidate Kiran Bedi taking out roadshows in the constituency with Sharma, Poorvanchali filmstar Manoj Tiwari has already held several rallies in the constituency.
Shasti’s Congress supporters are also upbeat. Mohan Dhingra said: “The Congress supporters have seen the AAP’s doublespeak. Shastri is going to win by at least 4,000 votes.”
Congress has fielded a strong candidate this time round with a potential to attract Muslim and Jat voters, and some party dissidents who virtually pulled out of campaign in 2013, are active once again and trying to win Muslim and traders’ support for Shastri.
Shastri’s entry has made the triangular fight more unpredictable. It can be anybody’s seat.
During 2013, Bharti defeated BJP’s Arti Mehra, a national general secretary of the party, by 7,772 votes. Congress candidate and former cabinet minister Kiran Walia stood third.
In terms of the community and caste split, the constituency’s biggest community is that of Punjabis who comprise 21 per cent voters.
Other Backward Classes constitute 20 per cent, Vaishyas 12 per cent, the Scheduled Castes and Muslims have 10 per cent each, Brahmins nine per cent, Sikhs seven, Jats five and Gujjars only one per cent, apart from five per cent others.
There are a total 1.37 lakh voters. Of these, 75,219 voters are men and 62,525 women. There are 1,731 first-time voters. The gender ratio in the constituency is 831 women to every 1,000 men.
There are 131 polling booths in the constituency.
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