Sharing its border with Haryana and comprising 100 villages, the north-western part of the city truly represents the rural face of Delhi. Over the years, cluster of villages in southern part of the city witnessed massive urbanisation and real estate boom, but North-West Delhi lok Sabha area still lacks basic amenities, better roads and public transport. The sorry state of affairs can be gauged from the fact that no public convenience has been constructed here. Men are seen defecating in the open. According to a survey, the region does not have any toilet facility for women either.
Metro connectivity up to Mundka has addressed the issue of transportation to some extent but, it has largely failed to bring desirable growth in the realty sector and socio-economic lives of the residents, which is otherwise evident in South and East Delhi areas. Significantly, this region has seen little growth in terms of infrastructure over the past few years as only a few of the new roads were laid and some good education institutes came up, but comparatively the entire region remains considerably under-developed. Despite the fact that it has one of the biggest grain markets, industrial areas and cluster of DDA residential flats here; no elected representatives have cared enough to push for development of this sector.
May be this is the reason local issues play significant role in making opinion of the electorates of Assembly segments falling under North-West lok Sabha seat.
North-West Parliamentary constituency has 70 per cent migrant population from Haryana and Western UP, mostly middle-level working class. There are also 20 per cent Poorvanchalis from Eastern UP, Bihar and Jharkhand. Following the restructuring of constituencies in 2008, it was made a reserved seat, which is dominated by old inhabitants Jats, Dalits, Brahmins and Muslim voters. It was carved out of the erstwhile Outer Delhi seat, which had enjoyed the status of being the largest Parliamentary seat in the country with 38 lakh voters till 2004. Given the sizeable presence of traditional voters of the two main political parties, the Congress and BJP, usually have a close contest here. However, in the last Assembly elections, the Congress performed fairer than the BJP.
Beside villages, 20 JJ clusters and colonies like Sultanpuri, Mangolpuri, Bawana, Shahbad Dairy and Savda Ghevra also comes under this constituency. On the other hand, urban pockets like Rohini (DDA flats and group housing societies), Prashant Vihar and Behra Enclave and unauthorised regularised colonies like Budh Vihar, Raja Vihar, Vijay Vihar, Shivaji Nagar, New Punjabi Colony, Narela, Swaroop Nagar, Mahabir Vihar, Sewak Park, Rama Vihar, Amar Colony (Kirari), Prem Nagar (Kirari) are also parts of the constituency.
The North-West constituency has 10 Assembly segments that include Narela, Badli, Rithala, Bawana (reserved), Mundka, Kirari, Sultanpur Majra (reserved), Nangloi Jat, Mangolpuri (reserved) and Rohini. At least 100 villages fall in this constituency. Some of them are Sultanpur Majra, Mangolpuri, Alipur, Bhaktawarpur, Badli, Punjab Khor, Nagal Tharan, Bajitpur, Begumpur, Bawana, Barwala, Kanjhawala, Karala, Madanpur Dabas, Tikri Kalan, Nangloi Jat, Mundka and Nilothi.
In the 2008 Assembly polls, the Congress had won six Assembly segments — Narela, Badli, Bawana, Sultanpur Majra, Nangloi Jat, Mangolpuri — while the BJP had won four seats — Rithala, Mundka, Kirari and Rohini.
