Less than three years after Delhiites elected a government in the 2015 Assembly elections, 20 of the Capital’s 70 constituencies are once again abuzz with talk of polls and promises.
With the President signing off on the Election Commission’s recommendation to disqualify 20 Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs for holding an office of profit, on January 20, the constituencies could see by-elections soon. However, a plea by the MLAs against the decision is pending with the Delhi High Court.
The MLAs, including Transport and Law Minister Kailash Gahlot, had been appointed as parliamentary secretaries to Ministers in 2015, but the court set aside the appointment order in 2016.
Still in majority
The disqualification of 20 MLAs has left the AAP with 46 MLAs in the House, well above the majority mark required to stay in power. The bypolls may not change that but could prove important for the AAP going forward.
In constituencies around south-west and west Delhi, voters were divided in their support to the AAP. In unauthorised colonies, residents said the subsidies in water and electricity given by the AAP government will be a factor they will consider.
“Our water bills are zero and electricity bills have also come down substantially. The Congress and the BJP are both parties of the rich. For the first time, we have an assurance that a party is doing something for people like us. If we have given so many chances to the Congress and the BJP, then why not another to the AAP?” said Birju Lal, a resident of Shiv Enclave in Najafgarh, the constituency Mr. Gahlot was disqualified from.
For the AAP
People from Tilak Nagar and Moti Nagar, which were strongholds of the BJP before the AAP swept the 2015 elections, said the AAP had ended VIP culture in the area.
“We cannot predict the voters’ mind. However, things have changed with the coming of the AAP. Before them, the MLA was treated like god. Roads would be cleared for them and their party workers would start preparing for their visits months in advance. The MLA now walks around here alone sometimes, talks to people and listens to them as if he is just one among us,” said Mahendra Singh (68), a resident of Nala Colony in Tilak Nagar.
Supporters of Jarnail Singh, the disqualified MLA from the constituency, said they were confident of regaining the seat with a higher margin this time.
“Voters are not blind. They can see all that the BJP at the Centre is doing to sabotage the AAP’s work in the city. They will vote wisely and will bring back the AAP. This is just a minor setback,” said Sukhjeet Kaur, an AAP volunteer.
In Wazirpur, residents of a slum cluster in the industrial area seemed to be buying that argument.
“[Prime Minister Narendra] Modi is not letting [Delhi Chief Minister Arvind] Kejriwal work. Mr. Kejriwal has improved our schools, there is a community toilet nearby that we can use for free and our electricity bills are less,” said Prakash, a Wazirpur resident who works as a driver.
In Mehrauli, which is towards the end of the Delhi Jal Board’s water network, increase in water supply stands out for residents. Hari Krishan Prajapat, a resident of Lado Sarai village in Mehrauli, said the government had increased daily supply of water from 15 minutes to five hours.
‘More than freebies’
Many, however, believe there is more to a government that just providing “freebies” to appease the voters. In several pockets of Janakpuri, residents believe that people might judge the AAP more harshly in comparison to the BJP and the Congress, because they had come with a lot of promise and have failed to deliver.
“What we have heard till now is only accusations against the BJP and Mr. Modi. We are tired of a Chief Minister blaming the Prime Minister for everything that is not happening in the city. As a voter I don’t care how work is done, I just want to see improvement in my lifestyle,” said Prakash Ahuja, a resident of Janakpuri C-I.
In south Delhi’s Kalkaji, residents of planned colonies said encroachment and traffic problems had worsened.
Many grievances
“The AAP is only giving benefits to unauthorised colonies. Recently, the number of encroachments on the main road has increased and the Traffic Police is not doing anything about it. Nor is the MLA or the municipal corporation,” said Kalkaji resident Anil Kumar.
In the sub-city of Dwarka too, residents claimed that not much has changed with the coming of the AAP.
“The traffic is a mess around Dwarka and public transport connectivity is quite bad. People have no other option but to depend on private vehicles. Yes, we do need to give them credit for bringing steady water supply to the area. Before this, we were heavily dependent on tankers and now we have regular piped supply,” said Subhashree Banerjee, a resident of Dwarka Sector 14.
In east Delhi’s Kondli, though sewers lines were laid recently, residents complained of water mixing with sewage — something they claimed to have informed the government authorities about many times.
“For many days, every couple of months we get dirty water from the tap. It becomes so bad that we have to buy several bottles of water for everything — cooking, cleaning and bathing,” said Kondli resident Shivani.
For a section of voters, the BJP-ruled municipal corporations’ drive to seal commercial units over pending conversion charges was on top of their minds.
“No one is bothered about encroachment by vendors but everyone is after traders who have been paying taxes and charges for years,” said Paramjeet Singh, who owns a shop in Rajinder Nagar.
In constituencies falling in Old Delhi, such as Sadar Bazar and Chandni Chowk, which are the hubs for traders, the problem of sealing is likely to affect their votes in case of a bypoll.
Lesser of two evils
“Our MLA from the AAP might not be great but the BJP-ruled civic body has not been efficient either. For us, it will be choosing the lesser of the evils,” said Suryaprakash Trivedi, a wholesale cloth dealer in Chandni Chowk.
In east Delhi’s Gandhi Nagar and Laxmi Nagar constituencies, many voters are not looking forward to another election.
“It seems like elections are held in Delhi every year. The city is always in election mode,” said Laxmi Nagar resident Atul Garg.
Fatigued by the 2013 and 2015 Assembly elections, the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and the 2017 civic body elections, voters questioned the frequency.
‘Too many elections’
“It is a waste of public money. The money that should be spent on the progress of the city is being wasted on elections again,” said Vijay Kumar, a resident of Jangpura Ashram area.
In the slum clusters of Burari, the constituency of Sanjeev Jha, volunteers have visited door-to-door explaining the decision of the Election Commission against the AAP.
“Why would the Election Commission disqualify the MLAs without listening to their version? And doesn’t the President have more important files to clear than making such a hasty decision on a Sunday?” said Mehtab, a resident of the area.
The area has a majority of lower middle class families, and lack of sewer lines and broken roads are a major problem here.
Ms. Mehtab said even among non-supporters of the AAP, a sliver of sympathy has been ignited with this decision against the AAP MLAs.
