Sanitation a major issue for first-time voters

Sanitation and better roads were the key issues behind a majority of the voter's choice for their preferred candidate in the Delhi Municipal Corporation Elections on Sunday.

Sanitation is a major plank this year, with lack of it leading to deadly diseases like Dengue, Chikungunya etc last year.

Over 1.1 lakh first-time voters exercised their right on Sunday. Among them was Shaurya Arora. Arora, from north Delhi's Model Town, said that in his area the condition of the roads was poor.

"The road outside my house had been dug for some water pipeline work underground. Just some filling of mud had been done to avoid anyone falling. It has been quite a time now and the road still remains the same as it was," Arora added.

Prerna Sarna, a first-time voter from Roop Nagar said, "I want to see a change in the poor sanitation management in my area, which causes vector-borne diseases such as dengue and chikungunya in the monsoon. I have voted for better cleanliness." Sapna, a resident of Kamla Nagar, said, "In my area, there is filth everywhere. Sanitation workers do not come on time. There is no proper sanitation management. I have cast my vote against filth."

Moreover, for the first time, the 'None of the Above' (NOTA) option was made available in the MCD polls.