Carved 11 years ago out of parts of the erstwhile Outer Delhi constituency and areas in southwest district, the West Delhi constituency – which goes to polls on May 12 -- consists of some upscale neighbourhoods, unauthorised colonies and a rural belt.
In 2014, BJP’s Parvesh Verma,43, son of former chief minister Sahib Singh Verma, won the West Delhi seat by a margin of around 2.86 lakh votes—the highest in Delhi. His party has reposed faith in him this time too. The Congress has fielded Purvanchali leader Mahabal Mishra, 65, who was the MP from the area in 2009. Debutant Balbir Singh Jakhar is in the fray, representing the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Jakhar, 47, is a lawyer and social worker.
In this constituency of 23, 67 lakh voters, Jats, Purvanchalis and Sikhs are the three dominant communities. Pockets such as Rajouri Garden, Tilak Nagar, Janakpuri and Hari Nagar have a large Sikh population, while Jharoda, Dichaun Kalan, and Dhansa are Jat strongholds.
Verma belongs to the Jat community and the party believes it would help him win a second term.
{{/usCountry}}Verma belongs to the Jat community and the party believes it would help him win a second term.
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“Yes, I am a proud Jat, but the work that I have done for the villages of Najafgarh along with the welfare schemes of the Central government have made us popular among the voters,” said the BJP candidate.
Congress’ Mishra, a migrant, is banking on Purvanchali voters to repeat his 2009 performance. Though the AAP has attacked the BJP and the Congress for its “divisive politics” based on caste and community, they have also chosen a Jat face to represent them in the constituency.
Jakhar is a native of Mitraon, one of the oldest Jat villages in the constituency. Jakhar, like Verma, did not give too much weight to his caste, saying it may help secure a win only once. “Maybe the first time you contest luck works and people vote for you because you represent their community, but after that it all comes down to the work that you do.”
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Key issues in this election is getting basic amenities such as regular water connections, public transport connectivity and educational institutions.
No matter how varied the constituency is in terms of demography and population, voters said the demands of each neighbourhood are basic and not difficult to achieve.
Sealing, demonetisation and implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) are big issues in the trading hubs of Rajouri Garden, Janakpuri, Uttam Nagar and Tilak Nagar.
Mishra has promised to take up the problems of the traders, especially sealing, for which he blamed the BJP-ruled municipalities. “Many traders in Tilak Nagar and Uttam Nagar have become victims of sealing and the BJP and the AAP have done nothing to support them or get their establishments unsealed. We will take up this issue,” the 65-year-old Congress candidate said.