In the narrow lanes of Chandni Chowk, thousands flock to shop on a summer afternoon as garment shops’ “agents” try their best to lure women with their oratory skills. Attending to a customer who was complaining about tax, 70-year-old Satish Mehra told her, “Arrey aap tax nahin dengi to hum GST kaise denge? [If you’ll not pay tax on your purchase then how will we pay Goods and Services Tax?]”

GST woes

Mr. Mehra, who has been running a garment shop since his teenage years, is “unable to understand GST”. He is of the view that while demonetisation and implementation of GST may be good for the future, it is troublesome right now. “It is such a long and tedious process. I can’t even do it myself. I have hired people for the job,” he said.

This election, Mr. Mehra has decided to “think and vote”. “What has the current government done apart from playing politics on religion? The Aam Aadmi Party at least has the city under control when it comes to water, electricity and other local issues,” he added.

A few metres ahead in the Paranthe Wali Gali, another garment shop owner Gaurav Rastogi (49) is extremely troubled by the Delhi government’s redevelopment work being carried out in the area. His shop, he claims, is flooded everyday as he opens it in the morning and he has written to the Delhi Jal Board a number of times but to no avail. “While the intention is good, the implementation is terrible. It is going to go on for the next two years and it is already impacting business.”

Mr. Rastogi also echoed the view Mr. Mehra shared on GST. “I don’t understand the tax slabs and how it has to be paid. I have to hire a chartered accountant and a lawyer. So my overhead costs also increase,” he said.

Hits out at Centre

In the next street, 70-year-old Anil Sharma referred to the current regime as “Raavan Raj”. “Raavan chal raha hai Hindustan main… Jo inke against bole uspe cases ho jate hain [This is Raavan Raj in India… whoever speaks against this government will have a case against them],” he said visibly agitated.

Mr. Sharma whose family has been running this garment shop for over 100 years claimed to be severely hit by the demonetisation in 2016 and the business hasn’t recovered yet. “Arvind Kejriwal aadmi achha hai lekin usey kaam karne kaun de raha hai. Agar ab vo haar gaya to Chandni Chowk aise hi khuda hua reh jaega (Arvind Kejriwal is a good man but who’s letting him work? Now if he loses, then Chandni Chowk’s redevelopment work will also stop),” he said.

However, his neighbour who did not wish to be named quipped, “Everyone is upset because they never paid taxes earlier and now they have to!” He added, “people have forgotten the taste of the Congress and AAP has to take permission for most of the work they wish to do.”

In Sadar Bazar, 62-year-old Jitendra who runs a sewing machine wholesale shop, has another grouse. He claimed that he has to buy goods and pay GST but his customers don’t pay him taxes for the articles they buy. “If we charge taxes, they’ll buy from another shop. Therefore, we are shelling out the tax money from our own pocket,” he said adding that he had about 15 workers at his shop till a few years ago and is now working all by himself.

Mr. Jitendra’s friend Moti Lal who used to run a printing press in Ballimaran and which he claimed now stands sealed, said “only the big fish are earning from GST, the middle class traders are only losing”.

Modi supporters

At another part of the constituency – Model Town – there was a sharp contrast to traders’ woes.

At a tea-stall run by Sushil Kumar (39), in Model Town’s Rameshwar Nagar, 60-year-old Raja Ram Singh, hailing from Bihar and residing in the locality, countered Sushil when he said that the Aam Aadmi Party works for the poor. “Gareebon ko to free main 2 kilo chawal bhi dedo to khush ho jaate hain. Modi ne jo desh ke liye kiya hai vo shayad hi koi kar paaye (Even 2 kg rice given for free makes a poor person happy. But what Modi has done for the country, no one can),” he said.

Talking about his village back in Bihar, he said he hadn’t even dreamt of getting electricity connection in the village and when he was growing up there was no electricity and now “electricity supply is there for 22 hours a day”. He is also impressed about how “terrorism is in check now”.

Govind Gupta, a labourer residing in the area and is from UP’s Sultanpur, narrates his views. “I remember my father had to visit the bank for 20 days to open a bank account about eight years ago but he still couldn’t. Now all of us have bank accounts as it became easy during the Jan Dhan Yojana,” he added.

No alternative

A few kms ahead, in the posh colony of Model Town-I, Amita Malhotra (36), a housewife, wasn’t impressed with the current government but also, seemed to have run out of options, she said.

“The problem is that there is no alternative. There is no credible person in the Congress to meet the stature of Modi and that is the reason BJP keeps getting votes. And because these are Lok Sabha elections, AAP doesn’t make a difference,” Ms. Malhotra said.

Similar views are shared by Sachin Yadav (25), an employee of a private firm and a resident of the area. However, he says, “In 2015 Assembly elections, everyone said the BJP is going to win but AAP won with a huge margin. Who knows for whom people will vote once they enter the polling booth”.