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The national capital will vote on May 25 for all seven seats in the Lok Sabha elections. With the voting only a few days away, Delhi residents have voiced their concerns, which they hope will be addressed on priority.

 

The residents of the East Delhi Lok Sabha constituency face several key issues, including inadequate parking space, unauthorised colonies, and the Ghazipur landfill. These issues may significantly impact the election outcome.

 

Furthermore, crime in some areas is a major concern for the voters in the constituency. The BJP's Harsh Malhotra and AAP and INDIA bloc candidate Kuldeep Kumar are in a direct contest in the constituency, which has 2,120,584 voters.

 

Vimal Singh, a resident of Kondli, emphasised that parking and water are the primary issues facing the area's residents.

 

"Parking is a main problem in the area. We do not have a proper parking space here. Water supply also gets affected in the area on a regular basis. Besides, our area does not have clean parks where kids can play.

 

"During monsoon season, the roads get filled with water, creating trouble for commuters. Heavy traffic near Kalyanpuri is also an issue where commuters get stuck during peak hours," Singh said.

 

Suraj Kumar, a resident of Ghazipur, expressed the need for their MP to address the issues of smell and pollution caused by the landfill site.

 

The East Delhi constituency includes major marketplaces like Lajpat Nagar, Laxmi Nagar, Gandhi Nagar, Shahdara, and Krishna Nagar, as well as residential areas such as Vivek Vihar, Mayur Vihar, Mandawali, Surajmal Vihar, Preet Vihar, and Trilokpuri.

 

Residents of Anand Vihar and Ghazipur are affected by pollution, while those in Kalyanpuri, Trilokpuri, and Mandawali are more concerned about crime.

 

Water shortage, poor drainage, and traffic jams are pressing issues in South Delhi

 

According to local residents, in addition to water scarcity, traffic jams, a lack of parking spaces, and a poor drainage system are among the other issues affecting the South Delhi constituency.

 

While political parties are campaigning on issues such as the Ram temple, corruption, unemployment, and inflation, the locals believe that the candidates should instead focus on ensuring basic amenities and addressing civic issues.

 

According to police, fights over water are a regular affair in areas like Sangam Vihar, Mehrauli, Chattarpur, Bijwasa and Aaya Nagar.

 

Before the delimitation exercise carried out in 2008, the South Delhi Lok Sabha constituency comprised several upscale areas. However, now it predominantly has urban villages, unauthorised resettlement colonies, and slums, which present several infrastructural challenges.

 

Mehrauli, Chattarpur, Bijwasan, and Neb Sarai share their borders with Haryana and have farmhouses spread across acres of land, surrounded by green forests. On the other hand, Badarpur, Sangam Vihar, Tughlakabad, and Govindpuri are mostly inhabited by slum dwellers and people living in unauthorised colonies and rural villages.

 

South Delhi has 10 assembly segments: Chattarpur, Palam, Bijwasan, Kalkaji, Mehrauli, Deoli, Ambedkar Nagar, Sangam Vihar, Tughlakabad, and Badarpur.

 

Meanwhile, some localities like Govindpuri, Kalkaji, Ambedkar Nagar, and Badarpur don't have enough parking spaces due to unauthorized constructions and narrow lanes.

 

Unlike the 2019 parliamentary elections, when the seat witnessed a triangular contest between the BJP, the AAP, and the Congress, this time, it is a direct fight between the BJP's Ramvir Singh Bidhuri (71) and the AAP's Sahi Ram Pehalwan (64), who is supported by the Congress. The Congress and the AAP are part of the INDIA bloc.

 

Pehalwan, a Tughlaqabad MLA, is contesting the Lok Sabha polls for the first time. He said his first three priorities after winning the polls would be to build a hospital, schools, and a sports stadium in south Delhi.

 

Popular leaders such as Sushma Swaraj, Madan Lal Khurana, and Vijay Kumar Malhotra have previously represented the South Delhi constituency.

 

In 1999, former prime minister Manmohan Singh contested the seat but lost to Malhotra by 30,000 votes.

 

The constituency currently has 22,21,445 voters, with 31 per cent belonging to the OBC community, 16 per cent Dalits, 9 per cent Gurjars, 7 per cent Muslims, and 5 per cent Punjabis, among others.