Congress faces a tough fight in the East Delhi constituency. With more than 16 lakh registered voters, the area comprises a quarter of the population of Delhi.
From upper-middle class to slum dwellers, East Delhi parliamentary constituency has a variety of voters. Differences in lifestyles are clearly visible.
There are people living in multi-storey apartments and posh colonies, and those in unauthorised colonies.
Sitting Congress MP Sandeep Dikshit, who is also the son of former Delhi CM and current Kerala Governor Sheila Dikshit, has won twice from this constituency. Once considered a Congress stronghold, the area is slowly slipping out of the hands of the party. In the last Assembly elections, the Congress got just two out of its eight MLAs from the East Delhi area.
The BJP has fielded spiritual guru and former member of Art of Living Maheish Girri. Girri comes from a non-political background but claims to have spent a lot of time in East Delhi. In last three or four years, he has launched many free medical camps, eye check-up camps, blood donation camps and other charitable camps in the area.
The AAP has fielded Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson Rajmohan Gandhi. Gandhi, who is considered to be an `outsider’, is struggling hard to mark his presence in the interiors of the constituency. But the AAP cadre and last election’s results are helping him to attract people.
Sandeep Dikshit says there is a pro-incumbent wave in East Delhi and the development will make the party win.
“The residents of East Delhi have seen extraordinary development and they will vote the Congress party,” he said. Dikshit is holding padyatras to reach out to the voters, and eyeing the traditional Muslim and slum dweller vote banks.
Girri is going door to door with BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi’s agenda of development.
“The East Delhi constituency is one of the most downtrodden areas of Delhi. The former governments have not done much for this area. There are great possibilities to turn many of the areas into business hubs,” he said.
Gandhi, however, goes by the Arvind Kejriwal’s slogan “Jhadu Chalao Beimaan Bhagao”. “People have seen the corrupt rule of Congress and BJP. In the last Assembly elections they proved that the AAP is the fastest growing party. They will vote for the AAP,” he said.