He was first elected as a member of the lok Sabha from New Delhi parliamentary constituency in 2004 and he only grew in stature as a politician from here. From being a legislator in Delhi to a Union Minister and Congress General Secretary, AJAY MAKEN is locked in a triangular contest in New Delhi constituency this time. Having registered two resounding victories in 2004 and 2009, Maken is eyeing a third win on the trot. He polled 233 out of 303 votes in the election of primaries conducted in the constituency for the lok Sabha polls.
In an interview to THE PIONEER, Maken dismisses any ‘Modi wave’ in the country saying his margin of victory will be bigger this time.
For the first time in New Delhi, you will be facing a triangular contest.
I don’t think so. Even earlier there were smaller parties contesting the polls but they were not given as much prominence as the two major parties — Congress and BJP. The Aam Aadmi Party is like any other small party but manages to hog media limelight. The kind of response I am getting from the people, I am very confident of winning third time on the trot.
Do you think the Aam Aadmi Party will be a factor in the lok Sabha pollsIJ
I don’t think so. Actually AAP is a media creation. Voters of Delhi have realised that it was their mistake to vote for Arvind Kejriwal and his party who ran away from governance. They failed to deliver when they were in power in Delhi for 49 days and misled people by making false promises in the name of corruption, Jan lokpal and providing free water and power to the people of Delhi.
How do you plan to tackle anti- incumbencyIJ
I am seeking votes on the basis of my performance during the last five years. For Defence personnel, the UPA Government introduced One Rank One Pension scheme. A large number of Defence personnel in Delhi Cantt have benefited from this. The Seventh Pay Commission has recently been constituted. This will benefit the service class people who form a majority of the votebank in New Delhi constituency. As the Union UD Minister, I ensured upgradation of over 36,000 flats in the area.
Do you see a Modi wave in DelhiIJ
Had there been a Modi wave, the BJP would have secured a majority in the Delhi Assembly. In reality, the BJP even failed to get clear majority in a House of 70 members.