Congress goes door to door to reach out to voters from North-east

nNEW DELHI: As political parties intensify their campaigns ahead of the February 8 assembly elections in Delhi to reach out to as many sections of voters as possible, the Congress is targeting voters from North-east India in the Capital.

Over the last one week, the party’s northeast cell has been conducting door-to-door campaigns with people from the region to note their problems and urging them to vote for the Congress party.

Areas around Arjun Nagar, Humayunpur, Safdarjung Enclave, Satya Niketan and Munirka, where a sizeable population of residents from Manipur, Mizoram, Sikkim and Tripura live, were covered.

Lhingkim Haokip Shingnaisui Kim, secretary of the All India Mahila Congress (AIMC), led the campaigns and said that while the AAP and the BJP are focusing their resources towards the prominent communities such as the Poorvanchalis, Punjabis and Baniyas, but the demands of the northeast communities are ignored.

“The people of our (the northeast) community have specific problems and how can parties that do not have a single member representing our community know these problems,” said Kim.

According to an estimate released by the party, nearly 5-7% of the city’s voters comprise north-easterners. The number of residents is higher, they said.

During the campaigns, many northeast voters demanded access to properties on rent and strict laws against racial crimes.

“Students from our region come to Delhi to study but face very uncomfortable and difficult situations everyday and often do not stay beyond their education. That is because many do not feel safe in such an environment of polarisation and hatred,” said Jitenda Meitei, member of Congress’s northeast cell.