Lok Sabha Elections 2019: What do Delhi women want? A safer city, they reply

For Delhi’s women, strict measures to ensure their safety remained the primary expectation from the new government, followed by access to better health-care facilities, more women colleges and a control on inflation.

Anuradha Sinha, 29-year-old electronic engineer from Dwarka Sector 6, said safety is the primary concern for women in her neighbourhood. “In Dwarka, women do not feel safe at nights because the roads are not well lit. Although the Delhi Metro has become a safe mode of transport for women, the journey to reach home from Metro stations continue to be a daunting one. I am hoping that the next government will take some steps to address the issue,” she said.

As many as 6,442,762 women across Delhi were registered as voters by the state election commission this Lok Sabha election.

Survi Goyal (35), a homemaker from Matia Mahal in Chandni Chowk, said much more needs to be done regarding women safety. “We need a secure country, but we also need our girl children safe. Even after laws and the police force were strengthened after certain horrific incidents, women still feel unsafe outside their homes.” she said.

Women voters from South Delhi’s Ambedkar Nagar said they have cast their votes with a hopes of getting better health-care facilities. “My mother was unwell last year and I can recall how much our family had to run from pillar to post in order to get her treatment done in a government hospital,” Beena Kumar, 25, who works at a private blood bank service, said.

Shreya Kumari, 20, a resident of Burari, said the women voters in her area have been demanding women colleges in their locality. “We need more women colleges in North East Delhi. Most girls lose out on the opportunity to study further because of the lack of women colleges in our neighbourhoods. We hope that the next government listens to our long pending demand,” she said.

Several homemakers who voted on Sunday said they expect the new government to control inflation. “We have to manage the finances of our homes and it becomes very challenging for us when there is inflation. We need some control over price rise, at least that of essential commodities,” Shabnam Bano, a resident of Seelampur, said.