Congress to face tough fight in Patparganj from AAP and BJP

Nakul Bhardwaj, the young face of Delhi BJP, who lost last assembly election by only 601 votes, is all set to encash the anti-Congress wave in Patparganj constituency. 

The sitting MLA Anil Kumar Chaudhary is set for a tough competition from Bhardwaj and Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Manish Sisodia. The seat is thus set for a triangular contest in the constituency among these three prominent leaders.

The constituency covers Indraprastha Extension, Mayur Vihar I and II, DDA flats, Mandavali, Vinod Nagar and Patparganj. People living in the area have complained of a lack of basic civic amenities such as maintenance of sewer lines, garbage and the lack of clean drinking water. The area has around 1.8 lakh eleigible voters.

Speaking to Millennium Post Bhardwaj said, ‘The sewers are the biggest issue here. Roads are in poor condition. The drains remain dirty for many days.’

Rakesh Sharma, a resident of west Vinod Nagar, said: ‘I want the system to change and will vote either for the BJP or the AAP.’

Meanwhile, Kumar is passing the buck to municipal corporations, which are ruled by BJP. ‘I made sure that sewers were constructed wherever required. There can be issues with the cleaning and maintenance but that is not my job. Municipal corporations should take care of it,’ he said.

Countering Kumar, Bhardwaj said: ‘It seems that the Congress leader hardly visits his constituency. If he visited the area, he could have seen the lanes of the slums, but I am going to each and everyone of them to listen to their issues. People are fed up with sewer issues and the lack of drinking water in the area. They want development in their area, which we can only bring,’ said Bhardwaj.

AAP candidate Manish Sisodia said: ‘We will provide basic amenities to people in the area. There is a need to address issues of sewers, garbage and the lack of clean drinking water here and once we will be in power, we will work on these issues.’

In the 2008 elections, the Congress and the BJP had a close fight. While Kumar won 42.39 per cent votes, Bhardwaj secured 41.63 per cent of the total votes.