Bharatiya Janata Party has reason to believe that the North Delhi municipal corporation will be theirs without much fuss. Among the 172 BJP councillors in the outgoing MCD, a majority belong to north Delhi.
All BJP heavyweights including Mayor Rajni Abbi, chairman of the standing committee Yogender Chandolia, chairman of education committee Mahender Nagpal, chairman of Civil Lines zone Raj Khurana and about 70 other sitting councillors reside and are contesting from north Delhi municipal corporation.
The majority among the trading community, which came and settled in Delhi as 'refugees' during Partition has traditionally associated itself with the BJP and is thick in areas like Chandni Chowk, Rajender Nagar, Kamla Nagar, Shalimar Bagh, Patel Nagar and Moti Nagar.
Deciding factor
They are the deciding factor in almost half of the 104 wards that comprise the North Delhi Municipal Corporation.
Scores of villages of north Delhi are dominated by communities like Gurjars, and Ahirs who are known to vote against the Congress. This gives an upper edge to the BJP.
Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party pradesh president Vijender Gupta, who too resides here and whose wife Dr Shobha Vijender is contesting from Rohini Central, however, does not attach much importance to these factors.
“These are some of the factors but one needs to understand why these people vote for us. It is because BJP has done lot of development work in the area. In fact in all the three municipalities, while Congress leaders are marred by corruption, our councillors have stood and fought along with people for their rights,” said Vijender.
The BJP will win all the three municipalities, not just north or south, he added.The issue of regularising the unauthorised colonies will be an important factor in the area.
Despite Congress promises, not a single colony has been regularised in the last five years and Delhi government got itself in trouble by issuing provisional regularisation certificates to colonies which do not even exist.
No power to regularise
While, municipal corporation of Delhi does not have power to regularise the colonies, Congress could face people's ire in these colonies.
Another important issue concerning people in the area is lack of medical facilities.“Women, especially in rural belts of Rithala, Khyala, Nathupura, Bawana, Singhu etc do not have maternity homes nearby,” said Vipin, a school teacher residing in Rohini and blamed BJP for not doing enough.
Maternity homes
“The municipality can provide maternity homes at least if not big hospitals,” he added.Congress in its manifesto for north municipality has announced four maternity homes, one each in Mundaka, Nangloi, Nizampur and Tikri Kalan.
Besides upgrading of GKM hospital, it has also promised a multi-speciality block in Hindu Rao hospital.
Whether this will help Congress or not, is to be awaited.
The Congress rubbished Bharatiya Janata Party’s claims that it will win this municipality. Bharatiya Janata Party should prepare itself for a shock, said Devender Yadav, Congress MLA from Badli.
“If there is any development in the city, it has been done by the Congress and not BJP. I have been roaming around in various wards and there is a positive wave for Congress,” claimed Yadav.
