Rookies looking to break new ground in CM Arvind Kejriwal’s den

NEW DELHI: Since 2008, the winner of “New Delhi” has gone on to become the chief minister. Before the constituency was carved out in the 2008 delimitation exercise, it was known as

Gole Market

seat, which elected Sheila Dikshit back to back from 1998 to 2003. Dikshit held on till 2013 when she was upstaged by Arvind Kejriwal.

Kejriwal won the seat in 2015 as well. This time around, both BJP and Congress have fielded rookie candidates against the AAP chief and, in the unlikely event of either of them causing an upset, the chances of their becoming the CM are next to nothing.

Though tiny compared with other constituencies in terms of area, New Delhi is no less diverse, as it covers the entire Lutyens’ zone, which includes

Rasthrapati Bhavan

, the residences of PM and other union ministers and Parliament, as also happening markets like Khan Market and Connaught Place, besides upscale colonies and government quarters.

The parties need to reach out to not just the affluent voters of Golf Links and Jor Bagh, but also the slum patches of

Laxmi Bai Nagar

and Peshwa Road. Throw colonies like Kaka Nagar, Sarojini Nagar and Sunder Nagar in the mix, and you have a potboiler. The constituency has a combination of castes and communities and the familial backgrounds are as diverse as the income groups.

BJP’s candidate, Sunil Yadav, lost his father at a very young age and was raised in the slums by her mother who worked as a maid in different bungalows of Lutyens’. Immediately after BJP sprung a surprise by fielding him in New Delhi, Yadav mobilised the network of his childhood friends in the slums to mount an aggressive campaign.

AAP, on its part, has launched a massive outreach programme with even the CM’s wife and children going door to door with the government’s report card. Kejriwal claims that his government has delivered so much in the last five years that even BJP workers will vote for it. He has cited installation of CCTV cameras, free rides for women in buses and several welfare schemes among the government’s achievements.

Yadav, however, is confident of playing the party pooper. He starts his day early and moves around, with folded hands, from one area to another — in slums and upscale colonies alike. “I grew up playing in the slums here... the people are going to vote for me,” he said.

Yadav said Kejriwal had fooled the people of the constituency by calling himself “aam aadmi” . “When Kejriwal came here (New Delhi) to fight election, people thought he would listen to them. But after five years, we hear he is a high-profile politician,” he claimed.

Romesh Sabharwal of Congress, too, is a largely unknown face. He invokes the memory of Sheila Dikshit as a three-time CM of Delhi. Sabharwal takes AAP head on. He says: “Kejriwal has done nothing here. He has betrayed the voters’ trust and they are waiting to teach him a lesson. People will vote for Congress.”

While improving sanitation, tackling pollution, greater CCTV coverage, smooth traffic and law and order are key poll issues here, people are largely satisfied with the services.