Weddings, Holi meets — councillors run after voters

The announcement of MCD polls has turned the tables on MCD councillors. Used to people running after them to get their work done, councillors are now doing everything they can to get the voters’ attention. Neelam Pandey reports.

The announcement of MCD polls has turned the tables on MCD councillors. Used to people running after them to get their work done, councillors are now doing everything they can to get the voters’ attention.

Right from attending weddings to organising Holi get-togethers and holding meetings with resident welfare associations (RWA), MCD councillors are using every opportunity to talk about their achievements in the past five years.

BJP councillor from Rithala Harish Awasthi, Prabha Singh from Shahdara (south) and many others organised Holi get-togethers on Sunday for their area residents.

"There is nothing wrong in holding such cultural functions. It allows councillors to interact with the residents and talk about his achievements and at the same time provides entertainment to the local people," said Jagdish Mamgain, chairman of MCD's Works Committee, who attended one such programme.

Many others have been attending five to six wedding functions daily these days. They are also attending every other social function or religious programme to ensure maximum visibility in their wards.

“A councillor is directly linked to his people. Hence, attending social functions becomes important for us. I’ve been attending four to five wedding functions everyday. With Holi round the corner, we have to take out time for its festivities too,” said Mahender Nagpal, chairman of MCD’s education committee.

Meanwhile, residents are only too happy to bask in the councillors’ attention. “We have been running after them for several days to get work done. But with elections in April, councillors have been calling us daily to hold meetings,” said Rakesh Singh, a resident of Rajouri Garden.

A number of councillors are also holding meetings with RWAs to get to know the kind of developmental work they want in their area. "I’ve been regularly holding meetings with RWAs and informing them about the developmental works I’ve carried out so far. I’m also asking for their suggestions about the work they want done in the area," said Jai Kishan Sharma, leader of Opposition in MCD from Najafgarh.