Discord aplenty in affluent areas, but booths still vacant

People do not seem to be bothered about voting. Polling numbers in slum clusters are much better RAJEN GHALAY, a 65-year-old voter in Vasant Kunj

NEW DELHI: A critical shortage of parking, burgeoning encroachments and poor sanitation — voters in Delhi’s high-income neighbourhoods on Sunday said they were desperate for improved civic services in their areas.

However, most polling booths in these localities were vacant for much of the day, as the Capital stepped out to vote in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) elections, with officials saying that the eventual turnouts in these parts will likely be lower than the city’s overall average, as they historically are.

In south Delhi’s Vasant Kunj D Block, the polling station in a government senior secondary school saw around a dozen people waiting in the queue.

Rajen Ghalay, a 65-year-old voter, rued the routinely low turnouts in his ward.

“See, people do not seem to be bothered. Voting numbers in slum clusters are much better,” he said.

Another voter, Subhash Mehra (59), a businessman who owns properties in Vasant Kunj and Mehrauli, said municipal services in the latter left a lot to be desired.

“No development is happening on the ground. The difference in aspirations also reflects in the voter turnout difference,” he said.

Preliminary data from the Delhi state election commission showed that the Capital 50% clocked a turnout of 50% in the civic polls on Sunday, a dip from 53.5% in the 2017 municipal elections and 53.3% in 2012, but still higher than the 43.3% in 2007.

However, every year, voting numbers in Delhi’s affluent neighbourhoods fail to keep up with the city’s overall figure. For instance, in 2017, Vasant Kunj saw a turnout of 45.18%. It was 39.43% in 2012 and 25% in 2007.

In south Delhi’s Greater Kailash-1, a polling station in the Kaultilya government senior secondary school had a moderately healthy footfall around 2.15pm.

RK Gupta, an elector at the booth, said, “The idea of involving resident welfare associations seems a good one,” he said, referring to a poll pitch by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which has promised to give residents’ groups “mini-councillor” status.

In west Delhi, Jitender Pal Singh (70), a resident of Punjabi Bagh West, said he was voting for change and better accountability from political parties.

“High-income neighbourhoods can sometimes be taken for granted and there is a need for better involvement of the local councillor. We are arranging to have our own waste lifted because MCD can be erratic,” he said.