On one side is the bank of Yamuna and on the other side is a thin strip of residential areas starting from Daryaganj to Lajpat Nagar. This is Delhi Assembly seat number 41 i.e. Jangpura.
In 2013, when Aam Aadmi Party came into existence, Maninder Singh Dhir, who came from BJP, snatched this seat for Aam Aadmi Party from Tarvinder Singh Marwah of Congress by less than two thousand votes.
After this, Praveen Kumar has been MLA from here for two consecutive times on the Aam Aadmi Party ticket, and Marwah, who fought on a Congress ticket, kept on decreasing the vote percentage here.
This seat of South East Delhi has become the most talked about seat after the New Delhi Assembly seat in the Delhi Assembly elections this time. A tough fight is seen on the ground here.
Aam Aadmi Party’s second-in-command and former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia is contesting from here leaving his Patparganj seat. For Manish, the question is not just of winning but also of strengthening his political legacy.
The contest is triangular
This time, not only Manish Sisodia’s reputation but also that of the Aam Aadmi Party is at stake in Jangpura.
The Jangpura seat, which went to AAP’s account in the last three elections, is witnessing a tough contest this time.
Manish Sisodia, who takes credit for improving the education system of Delhi, is currently embroiled in corruption charges in the alleged liquor policy scam.
Sisodia, who won the Patparganj assembly seat by a very small margin in the 2020 elections, faces a tough challenge in Jangpura this time as well. He is facing experienced candidates from Congress and BJP.
Historically too, this seat has been known for victory and defeat by a very small margin.
In 1993, the margin of victory and defeat here was only around two and a half thousand votes. However, after this Marwah strengthened his hold here and won three consecutive times on a Congress ticket, securing more than 50 percent of the votes alone each time.
But in 2013, the margin of victory of Aam Aadmi Party was less than two thousand votes.
Manish Sisodia is facing the challenge of Tarvinder Singh Marwah, a three-time MLA from Congress and now joined BJP and Congress candidate Farhad Suri.
Marwah has a long political career while Suri belongs to a prominent political family of Congress.
Marwah was MLA from here on Congress ticket three times from 1998 to 2008.
While Farhad Suri has been the Mayor of Delhi. He is the son of the late Tajdar Babar who was also the President of the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee.
Tajdar Babar was also the MLA from the Minto Road seat (which later became a part of the New Delhi Assembly).
Marwah wants to regain his old political credibility here, while Farhad Suri sees this as an opportunity for Congress to regain its old glory in Delhi.
Seat with a diverse population
Daryaganj, Rajghat, Vikram Nagar, Tilak Bridge, Pragati Maidan, Sundar Nagar, Nizamuddin East and West, Sarai Kale Khan, Jangpura, Bhogal, Jangpura Extension, some areas of Lajpat Nagar, Nehru Nagar, Hari Nagar Ashram, Siddharth Basti, Kilokri, Ashram, Sunlight Colony are the major population settlements here.
The special thing about this seat is that people of every class live here. Here there are posh colonies like Nizamuddin East and West to the middle class of Bhogal and JJ colonies built near the railway line. That is, there is a rich-class, middle-class, and poor voter here.
There are famous markets like Lajpat Nagar and Daryaganj where lakhs of people come daily.
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The total number of voters in this seat is around 1.48 lakh. The issues of this economically and socially diverse area are also diverse. According to the people here, traffic jams, water logging, sewer, and bad roads are the major issues.
The demand of people of areas like Nizamuddin East and Lajpat Nagar is for better urban facilities. Whereas for the people of JJ colonies, basic facilities are the biggest issue.
What do people say?
About 15 percent of the voters in this constituency are Muslims whose population is concentrated in the areas around Nizamuddin Dargah, Sarai Kale Khan, and Daryaganj.
Sohail’s family, who lives in the colony behind Nizamuddin Dargah, has been supporting the Aam Aadmi Party till now.
But Sohail now seems disappointed. Sohail says, “No matter which political party it is, all have disappointed. Most of the people here are stuck in fulfilling their daily needs.”
Sohail says, “I am liking a different candidate and my family is liking a different candidate.”
Disappointment with the government is evident in his conversation. Many other people here have similar opinions.
A little distance from here, at Alvi Chowk, flags of the Aam Aadmi Party, Congress, and BJP are hoisted. The entire intersection is filled with election symbols of political parties.
People in the Muslim-populated Nizamuddin colony have different opinions. Many Muslim youth are seen supporting Congress candidate Farhad Suri here.
Some remind BJP candidate Talwinder Marwah of his work during his tenure as a Congress MLA, while others mention the facilities being provided to the public under the Aam Aadmi Party government.
A grocery shopkeeper supporting the Aam Aadmi Party, without revealing his name, says, “There is no doubt that the contest is tough for AAP this time in Jangpura seat.”
He says, “There seems to be a division in Muslim votes. Congress and BJP candidates also seem to be getting support here.”
Aam Aadmi Party’s election office is right in front of this shop. Javed Hashmi, sitting close to it, says, “The contest here is triangular. BJP candidate Tarwinder Marwah is a popular face here. On the other hand, everyone knows Congress candidate Farhad Suri here. He has been a councilor and his mother was also an MLA. Manish Sisodia is a good leader but people here are seeing him as an outsider.” Javed Hashmi says, “Manish Sisodia may win from here based on his face, but the contest is very difficult for him.”
AAP’s savings card
The biggest bet of the Aam Aadmi Party is the free schemes and the promise of giving 2100 rupees per month to women.
A huge crowd has gathered for the rally of Aam Aadmi Party in Bhogal. However, most of the people who came to the rally with whom BBC spoke were either from outside Delhi or from areas outside Jangpura seat.
Here a group of Aam Aadmi Party workers was distributing ‘savings cards’ to the people who came to the rally. Apart from Mahila Samman Yojana, this card mentions other schemes that can give financial benefit to the voters if AAP forms the government again.
Showing this card from the stage, Manish Sisodia says, “This is a card of saving at least twenty-five thousand rupees per month. This is the savings card of politics of profit. Calculate how much benefit every family will get every month in Kejriwal’s government.”
These savings cards are seen scattered at various places at the rally venue. A woman supporter of AAP, who came here, says, “We will vote for the one who will benefit us.”
Questioning Sisodia’s claims, Tarvinder Marwah says, “He has nothing now except false promises. The public has seen his work in the last ten years. The public will not fall into this trap.”
On the other hand, Congress candidate Farhad Suri says, “The public is understanding this lie and is remembering the work done during the Congress era when the real development of Delhi took place.”
The problem of roads and sewerage
Sewerage and bad roads are the biggest issues for the people here.
Lucky Bindra, who works in the property business, says, “Aam Aadmi Party had promised to fix the roads and sewerage, which has not been fulfilled even in ten years.”
Grocery shopkeeper Rajiv Kumar also agrees with Lucky Bindra’s opinion and says, “Roads are broken here, dirty water still comes in the houses, the condition of sewerage is very bad. People here are disappointed with the current AAP MLA.”
Sisodia is also understanding these issues. In his rallies, Sisodia is repeatedly repeated the promise of repairing broken roads, repairing sewerage, and improving the system.
In a rally, Sisodia said, “I will make every road of Jangpura shine within five years. Not just five years, this work will be done in the next one or two years. The problem of dirty water coming in some houses will be solved in a few months.”
The workers campaigning for Aam Aadmi Party also accept this. Lakshmi Narayan, associated with SC-ST RWA of Jangpura-Bhogal, says, “AAP has done work but somewhere there is some deficiency. People have complaints about sewerage.”
Lakshmi Narayan, who is campaigning for Aam Aadmi Party, says, “Manish Sisodia will win from here but it will not be easy. He will have to create confidence that he will be available for the people and will give priority to their issues.”
The issue of an outsider candidate
Candidates of both Congress and BJP are raising the issue of Manish Sisodia being an outsider.
Talvinder Marwah says, “If Manish has done such a good job, then why has he left Patparganj and come here?”
Asking the same question, Farhad Suri says, “Manish won Patparganj with great difficulty. He could not do anything for the people there, so he has come here.”
Manish Sisodia has been asked the question of being an outsider candidate many times. In his public statement, Sisodia had said, “Jangpura needs strong and honest leadership. I want to serve the people here with devotion.”
At the same time, Arvind Kejriwal, while campaigning for Manish Sisodia, has repeatedly reiterated that Sisodia will again be the Deputy CM in the AAP government.
In a rally, Kejriwal said, “If your MLA becomes the Deputy CM, then all the officers will do your work on the phone itself.”
However, analysts believe that though the contest may be difficult for Manish, he will benefit from his political stature here.
Political analyst Mukesh Kejriwal says, “Whenever someone leaves his original seat and contests from another place, the opposition raises this question. The last election was also quite difficult for Manish.”
“There is also resentment against the current AAP MLA in Jangpura. But despite this, Manish Sisodia is a high-profile candidate for Jangpura. If the AAP government is formed, Manish will again become the Deputy Chief Minister. In such a situation, it is more likely that Manish will overcome the resentment here based on his stature.”
AAP has thrown its full-strength
Aam Aadmi Party has thrown its full strength on this seat. Many Aam Aadmi Party workers from Punjab were seen campaigning here.
Saqib Ali, an AAP worker from Malerkotla who is campaigning in Nizamuddin Basti, says, “We have a team of many people who are engaged in spreading the party’s message to every house here.”
Along with Saqib Ali, many other workers from Punjab were campaigning for Manish Sisodia in the streets of Nizamuddin Basti.
Mukesh Kejriwal says, “Manish Sisodia is the biggest face of Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi. The party promotes its education model, so the Aam Aadmi Party has put all its resources into this seat. Because the party’s reputation is at stake here.”
On Thursday, Samajwadi Party MP Iqra Hasan campaigned in support of Manish Sisodia in Nizamuddin Basti.
In a conversation with BBC, Iqra said, “We are with Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi elections, I have been given the responsibility of campaigning.”
Iqra campaigned for Manish Sisodia, especially in Muslim areas. While appealing for votes for Manish, Iqra said, “I have come to take your vote pledge for my elder brother Manish.”
Explaining the reason for Aam Aadmi Party putting all its strength on this seat, Mukesh Kejriwal says, “Congress has nothing to lose here, BJP is trying to return to power, but for Aam Aadmi Party it is not just a question of prestige but also of saving the government.”
There was a wave of Aam Aadmi Party in the last elections. But this time no such wave is visible on the ground in support or opposition of AAP.
Mukesh Kejriwal says, “In the last elections, a strong wave was visible four to five days before the voting. But this time it is not so, it is clear that this time the competition is tough.”
