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BJP heavyweight takes on Cong first-timer
Though many Delhiites associate Saket primarily with the upmarket PVR cineplex, for political parties, Saket is important for the huge chunk of votes that the residents of the unauthorised colonies here command.
Though many Delhiites associate Saket primarily with the upmarket PVR cineplex, for political parties, Saket is important for the huge chunk of votes that the residents of the unauthorised colonies here command.
And that’s precisely why the candidates of both the Congress and the BJP have promised voters here that they will press for regularisation of the unauthorised colonies. Delhi BJP vice-president Vijay Jolly is taking on sitting municipal councillor Rohit Manchanda here.
The Congress’s Tek Chand Sharma has been the sitting MLA in Saket for the last 10 years. He, however, did not get a ticket this time. Jolly, who had lost from here in 1998 said: “We were swept away by the onion crisis in 1998 but this time, we will win by a handsome margin. Nothing much has been done for the constituency over the last 10 years.”
Manchanda, on his part, refused to comment on why the party chose him over Sharma. “All I can say is that I am a fresh candidate and people will vote for me on the basis of my performance as a councillor from Saket during the last year and a half,” he said.
The civic amenities in the unauthorised colonies at Tigri and Sangam Vihar and also in villages like Deoli are pathetic. In fact, when filmstar Amisha Patel campaigned for Jolly recently, she was stunned by the huge piles of garbage, bad roads and open drains in these areas. Both Jolly and Manchanda pledged to improve the civic amenities.
Even in posh upper-middle class colonies like Saket near the PVR complex, there are murmurs of discontent. Though the colony is relatively clean, encroachment on roads is cited by residents as a major menace. They are also peeved at the traffic problem due to the PVR complex nearby. The posh but unauthorised Sainik Farms colony is also located in the constituency.
Jolly has roped in stars like Amisha Patel and Hema Malini — the latter will put in an appearance on Wednesday. “I am doing this so that I can highlight the horrors and utter lack of civic amenities in the constituency,” he says.
Manchanda describes Jolly’s campaign style as “gimmicks”. “We will not resort to this,” he says.
