Suspense In Clash Of Big Names In Constituency Marred By Acrimony

New Delhi: The electoral battle in the New Delhi assembly constituency has solid chief ministerial associations. AAP candidate Arvind Kejriwal, the former CM who dethroned then CM Sheila Dikshit on the seat in 2013 after a 15-year tenure, seeks re-election for the fourth time there. Arrayed against him are the sons of former CMs; Congress has bet on Sandeep Dikshit, son of Delhi's longest-serving CM, while BJP has put up Parvesh Verma, son of Sahib Singh Verma.
For Kejriwal, the election is critical because he has designated it a referendum on the corruption allegations made against him. When resigning from the CM's post, he promised to re-assume the top post only after the people of Delhi granted him a "certificate of honesty". The New Delhi constituency, of course, doesn't represent the entirety of the city, being, numerically speaking, one of the smallest among the 70 assembly seats with a big portion of the electors being govt employees.
Geographically small, the constituency is, however, no less diverse than the country. It includes Lutyens' Delhi which has the President's Estate, bungalows of the Prime Minister and Union ministers, Parliament, Khan Market, Connaught Place, posh colonies and government quarters, etc. The political parties must reach out to the bureaucrats and the affluent voters in the tony colonies of Golf Links and Jor Bagh. They must also win over those making ends meet in slums near Laxmi Bai Nagar and Peshwa Road and the village of Palinji.
Kejriwal is banking on the work he has done in his constituency and the welfare schemes of his govt. "People appreciate AAP's work," he said with confidence. "BJP has openly declared that if it comes to power, it will scrap five crucial benefits: free electricity, free water, govt schools, mohalla clinics and free bus travel for women. This will result in a financial burden of ₹20,000-25,000 per month for households."
BJP's Verma doesn't believe that Kejriwal represents the middle-class households. "An aam aadmi doesn't live in a Sheesh Mahal," contended Verma when asked to comment on AAP criticism that "the sons of two former CMs are fighting against an aam aadmi". But BJP itself had to come up with counter offers to the people and Verma hopes his party's promise to give women Rs 2,500 every month and the announcement of the Eighth Pay Commission for govt employees, will swing the contest in his favour.
Sheila Dikshit's son is banking on his mother's legacy but also his party's announcements of sops, including for women and for the youth.
The campaign has been marked by acrimony among the three high-profile combatants. When Verma was observed giving money to women at his residence, there were loud protests from AAP and Congress. Verma was quick to rebut that he was giving money through his NGO and said, "At least I am not distributing free alcohol." It was a veiled attack against Kejriwal on the alleged financial arrangements in the 2021-22 excise policy.
Verma also dismissed AAP's claims about numerous works done. "I've been asking people to name 11 initiatives completed in the past 11 years, and they struggle to even name two," he alleged. "There's widespread anti-incumbency against Kejriwal here. He is being greeted with black flags by the locals."
Kejriwal was his pugnacious self throughout, a part of his campaign being to allege large-scale attempt at voter deletion of AAP supporters across Delhi, including in his home constituency. He also sowed uncertainty in people's mind by claiming that BJP would halt all the benefits being given by his party's govt, such as free water and electricity and free bus rides for women if the saffron party came to power. Verma and BJP found themselves trying to convince the electors that it would not halt any of the existing welfare schemes.
Better sanitation services, water supply in slums, smoother traffic, improved street lighting, stronger law and order and parks with amenities have been flagged as election issues. The constituency, being mostly under the New Delhi Municipal Council, does not list the problems that electors in constituencies face, such as overflowing drains and clogged sewers.