JOIN USDelhi voters are smart and value good work done for them, says New Delhi constituency MP and Congress leader Ajay Maken, who filed his nomination on Friday from the same Lok Sabha seat.
People in the Capital cannot be misled with false promises — as made by the AAP — and the creation of hype over the so-called wave in favour of the BJP, said Maken, 50.
He dismissed talk of a tough contest ahead of him in the April 10 polls after the Congress party’s defeat in the December 2013 Assembly elections.
“There can be no comparison of Assembly polls and Parliamentary elections. They are both different,” said the two-time MP from New Delhi.
Maken, who was appointed the speaker of Delhi Assembly at an age of 39, said: “I would go to people with my report card of the last 10 years and share my vision for them over the next five years.”
Since 1993, I have not lost an election and I see no problem in beating my rivals this time as well, said Maken who won the last election with a margin of over 1.87 lakh.
“I have played a key role in upgrading over 36,000 government flats in my constituency. Services of over 4,000 muster roll employees have been regularised due to my efforts and I also lobbied hard for the setting up of the Seventh Pay Commission for the Central government employees,” he said.
Maken said professionals across the city know the role he played as Union minister for the creation of the new Master Plan for Delhi (MPD-2021) that brought an end to sealing and demolition of properties in 2007.
The former Cabinet minister also slammed the BJP for spreading rumours about a wave in its favour.
“There is no (Narendra) Modi wave. If there was any wave, the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate would not be fighting elections from two seats,” he said.
Admitting that seven of 10 Assembly constituencies in his seat were held by AAP MLAs, Maken said: “Delhiites are not going to vote for the AAP whose chief minister Arvind Kejriwal failed to deliver on his promises.”
He refused to comment on whether he considered the BJP or the AAP his main rival. “I am fighting the election without keeping my rivals in mind.”