In Delhi’s rural belts, it’s local development vs nationalism
While the patriotism pitch found several takers, local concerns dominated the discourse among voters
nNEW DELHI: Campaigning in Narela, a rural belt in north-west Delhi, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath had urged voters to support the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), while listing out the “bold” and “historic” decisions taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led central government.
When people turned out to vote on Saturday, a large number of residents of Narela village said they voted for “development of the area”, at the same time praising the “work done by the Modi government for the country”.
Located on the outskirts of the city, there are 10-odd rural assembly segments such as Narela that play a decisive role in government formation.
The BJP had campaigned hard in these assembly segments such as Bawana, Mundka, Najafgarh, Bijwasan, Mehrauli, Maitala, Chhatarpur and Tughlakabad. The party had won these constituencies in the 2013 assembly elections but lost all of them in 2015.
Many of these, especially Mehrauli, Bawana Matiala (carved out of Dwarka assembly constituency in 2008), have been Congress strongholds in the past. “It is a direct fight between the BJP and AAP this time,” said Kuber, a trainer at an automobile firm and a resident of Rani Kheda in the Mundka assembly segment.
While the BJP’S “nationalism” pitch found many takers, local issues dominated the discourse, especially among women who turned up in large numbers. One of the common local concerns in the rural belt was of the lack connectivity with the rest of the city owing to the absence of public transport.
Saya Khatri (21), a Narela resident who is preparing for the civil services, said, “This election is to elect our MLA. A lot of development work such as condition of schools, roads and other infrastructure work has happened in the village in the past five years. There is no good public transport facility. Metro connectivity is need of the hour.”
But Satbir Khatri (70), a village elder, points to the increase in electricity tariff for agricultural work when residential rates have gone down. Sitting with a group and smoking hukka, Satbir Khatri says he is looking for change. “We are forced to pay very high electricity charges,” he said.
In west Delhi’s Najafgarh and Matiala, many said they voted in support of the work done in their areas in the last five years. However, many others felt that “national issues” came before local issues.
In Hasanpur village, residents said many young men were in the armed services and this promoted the feeling of “nationalism” among residents here.
“It is a mixed vote actually. The dream to enter the armed services and the general atmosphere in the city these days does push the issue of nationalism. But the Delhi government has constructed great sports infrastructure in this area to help these young people get into the forces,” said Mahavir Pehalwan, a resident of Hasanpur Village.
But in South Delhi’s Tughlakabad and Badarpur segments, the anti-caa protests have become an election issue as for the past two months, residents have been adversely affected by the roadblock at the Shaheen Bagh protest site. This road, connecting Faridabad and parts of South Delhi with Noida, has been shut since December 16. But there were many who spoke about the benefits of subsidised electricity and water offered by the AAP government.
Krishna Kumar, a 23-year-old man who lives in Madanpur Khadar and worked for a medical firm in Noida, brought along four friends to vote “against Shaheen Bagh”. “The traffic jam caused by the protesters impacted my work. I’ll be voting to ensure they are removed as soon as that happens,” he said.
In Madanpur Khadar, which has better living conditions than Badarpur and Jaitpur, 84-yearold retired Indian Air Force (IAF) officer, said he wasn’t bothered about the candidates. “I voted for nationality,” said Rajput.
In Chhatarpur, 44-year-old homemaker, Vandana Tak, said she was voting for local issues. “The sewer problem in my neighbourhood gets fixed only during elections and the bus service is sparse. I am voting with anger against these issues,” she said.
In the same neighbourhood, 55-year-old Ramnath Mishra, who walked with help as he is recuperating from a brain haemorrhage, said he voted for “the country’s security”. “I can avail of local amenities by paying for it. It is not the same case with the country’s security,” he said.
Biswajitmohanty,professorof political science at Deshbandhu college and state coordinator of CSDS -Lokniti, said, “There is a divide in rural areas. While nationalism might be an issue especially in South Delhi areas which has a Gujjar-jat population, in other parts it is important but people are also looking for better quality of life. In almost all the rural villages, local issues will play a crucial role as these areas are in need of development.”
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Our choice is clear. We voted for the party who can provide better future to our children. My daughter studies in a government school and I am very happy with her progress. ›
ARAISH FATEEMA, who voted at Matia Mahal
We voted for peace. We don’t like the way some people are trying to disturb the unity of India. We have always lived together.
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PUSHPA AND ASIFA, who voted at Ajmeri Gate Electricity, roads, water are minor issues. We should vote for national integrity and strong government that can take decisions and handle the chaos in country. SURENDER SINGLA, who voted at Sukhdev Vihar