MillenniumPost
Delhi

'People want young, educated leader on forefront'

Aam Aadmi Party's Rajinder Nagar candidate Raghav Chadha talks to Aaisha Sabir of Millennium Post about the upcoming assembly by polls. He is confident that AAP will repeat its 2015 performance and Seva bhavna is very important to him as a politician.

Excerpts:

This is a new constituency for you how will you go about it?

Who said this is a new constituency. This is my home constituency I am a local boy, I was born here in Gangaram Hospital. My family has been living here for alomst 65 years. I've grown up roaming around and playing in the streets of Budhnagar, Todapur, Pandav Nagar, Karol Bagh and adjacent areas. Like Wankhede is Sachin Tendulkar's home ground and Eden Garden is Sourav Ganguly's, Rajinder Nagar constituency is my home ground.

What is your election strategy for your home ground?

We must go back to the people with our report card of the last five years and present a vision to the people for the next five years. Tell them that they are going to benefit with the visionary leadership of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal who is an upright and educated person with an impeccable integrity.

What are the key issues in your constituency?

There are different areas which suffer from different problems. I have broken down by constituency into seven pockets. We are going to prepare a manifesto for each pocket. For example, Old Rajinder Nagar and new Rajinder Nagar face problems of stray dogs and parking issues. When you talk about Dasghara, Todapur, and Pandav Nagar they have issues of sewage and water.

Sewage lines need to be repaired or relaid. Addressing these different issues in different pockets is important therefore I am going to come out with a separate manifesto detailing my promise for the next five years.

If you win what are the first few things that you would like to work on?

I am making certain promises which I will fulfill in the first 100 days. Small works which can easily be done but wasn't done. These small things have been disturbing the people in their everyday life.

For example, the installation of CCTV cameras in some parts of Pandav Nagar is still pending, lanes were identified and areas were demarcated but could not be installed largely because model code of conduct kicked in. In Naraina gaon, there are certain lanes and streets where sewage repair work needs to be done as a result of which the water that they get is muddied.

What is your long term plan for your constituency?

The long term plan is to make my constituency a model constituency. Today when I meet people they tell me about this MLA Puran Chand Yogi from BJP, people still remember him because he was extremely accessible. When I promise accessibility to the people they tell me that they see a glimpse of him in me. They say that I will outdo his performance and the reason is that he was 61 when he started in politics and you are 31. With vigour, passion and youth on your side you will at least be able to match up to his standards.

Do you see your youth as an advantage?

It is both actually, but largely as an advantage. People do want a young, educated leader on the forefront. At the same time I may not be as administratively experienced as a politician who is 75 and who has been part of the government for a long time. That does not mean I am completely inexperienced I have been in politics for over seven years and I have been working with Kejriwal Ji very closely.

I personally feel that one's commitment, integrity, and willingness to do something for the people will outdo the inexperience.

What have you learnt from your previous encounter when campaigning in 2015?

One thing I have learnt is that different elections have a different voting pattern and different flavours. Lok Sabha election was a Modi election. I thought I was competing against Ramesh Bidhuri but in reality I was competing against Modi. Those at the time use to say Modi versus who? Today they say Kejriwal versus who? There is no alternative to Kejriwal in Delhi.

People have expectations and you have to work hard to meet those expectations. If people see a glimpse of honesty in you then they will vote for you.

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