On January 28th, Kasturba Nagar Constituency was all decked up to host Union Home Minister Amit Shah for his roadshow. For the first time in a long time, residents of the area saw clean roads, functional streetlights and heightened security.
Ironically, however this temporary makeover generated more frustration and anger among the residents who saw a stark contrast between the usual state of affairs and special arrangements made for the high profile visit.
"Everything looks perfect today—clean roads, functioning streetlights, and tightened security. But why this sudden change? Is it just because of Amit Shah's roadshow? It's disheartening that they can't maintain this level of service regularly,'' said Sangita Jha, a 61-year-old voter from the area.
Sangita, a resident of the Vikram Vihar area, felt the cosmetic fix was not the solution as the area has been grappling with issues like women's safety, cleanliness, and development. Disappointed with the current regime, she said she would "like to see the BJP candidate in power in Kasturba Nagar''.
"There are problems like cleanliness and road repair in this area. We should vote for a party that promotes development, and I think the BJP government works for development and infrastructure. We will vote for BJP to save Hinduism," Sangita adds.
A vocal BJP supporter, Sangita was against what she called the 'APPs policy of freebies'. "This practice ultimately harms the people. On one hand, the government gives away freebies, and on the other, it imposes taxes. This creates a widening gap between the rich and the poor, where the poor become even poorer and the rich accumulate more wealth,'' she said.
Union Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday held a roadshow in Delhi's Kasturba Nagar Assembly constituency, where he attacked the Aam Aadmi Party for "not fulfilling promises made to the people in the capital."
While the roadshow saw a turnout of the BJP supporters, APP backers were also present in the area in significant numbers.
Ritu Jain, a 35-year-old resident of Amar Colony, is satisfied with the Aam Aadmi Party government's work and vows to continue supporting them.
She is all praises for the government's development work in the area, citing benefits for the middle class, including revamped schools, mohalla clinics, 200 units of free electricity, and complimentary bus services for women.
On the other hand there are some who also reminisced about Sheila Dikshit government's initiatives and development work.
Vikram Singh, 50, says the area "hardly saw any development since the Congress's Sheila Dikshit government."
For most women in the area, safety remains a very major and serious issue. A group of women stated that, regardless of which government comes to power, "women's safety has always been a serious issue in Delhi."
One of the women in the group, Shila, a resident of Dayanand Colony, recalls an acid attack incident in her neighbourhood. Speaking in a hushed tone, Shila says, "In our locality, a few years ago, a girl was attacked with acid. At that time, when the government should have taken action, they didn't. The local people were the first to reach out and help the girl. It's been many years since that incident, but even today, we don't feel safe on the streets."
Kasturba Nagar Assembly Seat
Kasturba Nagar assembly constituency of Delhi remains a test of power between BJP and Aam Aadmi Party. The Kasturba Nagar assembly seat is a general category seat. It is one of the 10 assembly constituencies of the New Delhi parliamentary seat.
Candidates of all three parties, AAP, BJP, and Congress, are sweating it out for the assembly elections in 2025. The biggest challenge for the Aam Aadmi Party is to score a hat trick.
At the same time, the BJP is once again trying to establish its dominance in this seat. In the 2020 elections, the Aam Aadmi Party candidate had won from here.
Aam Aadmi Party has given a ticket to Ramesh Pehlwan from Kasturba Nagar. While the BJP has fielded Neeraj Basoya, the Congress has fielded Abhishek Dutt.
What Happened In 2020?
In the Delhi Assembly Elections 2020, the Aam Aadmi Party won the election from the Kasturba Nagar Assembly Constituency. Aam Aadmi Party candidate Madan Lal defeated BJP candidate Ravinder Chaudhary in a tough contest.
According to the result declared by the Election Commission of India, Madan Lal defeated Ravinder Chaudhary by a margin of 3,165 votes. Congress's Abhishek Dutt finished third. The AAP candidate got 37,100 votes. BJP's Ravinder Chaudhary got 33,935 votes.
AAP Hopes For A Hat-Trick
In the past years, BJP has managed to score a hat trick from the Kasturba Nagar assembly seat with their first win in 1993. After this, the BJP won again in 1998 and 2003.
However, in the 2008 elections, Congress candidate Neeraj Basoya from the Kasturba Nagar assembly seat put a brake on BJP's winning streak. And with the coming of AAP in 2013, the seat has been with the incumbent party.
Delhi will go for a vote on February 5, and the results will be declared on February 8.
