There is a fight between Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates in East Delhi's Laxmi Nagar constituency. The residents were happy over the Delhi Government works, such as free electricity, water and Mohalla clinic. Laxmi Nagar is known for housing a surfeit of coaching centres for Chartered Accountancy and a large chunk of migrant population resides in the area and it is understood that they will decide the fate of candidates. Congress held sway in this constituency as its candidate Dr Ashok Walia won this seat four times in a row. However, after delimitation in 2008, Congress is struggling to survive.
The AAP has once again fielded Nitin Tyagi, who won last Assembly election in 2015 with a margin of 6,000 votes, while BJP has brought Abhay Kumar Verma and Congress has fielded Hari Dutt Sharma.
Laxmi Nagar constituency comprises Shakarpur, Ganesh nagar, Lalita Park, Nehru Enclave, Yamuna Bank, Nanakpura, Dayanand colony, Pandav Nagar, Patparganj, Vinod Nagar north, Mother Dairy Plant, Krishna Kunj, Lakshmi Nagar, Mohan Park, Guru Angad Nagara West and Shakarpur Khas.
The Pioneer visited the constituency where residents highlighted their issues such as poor parking facility, pathetic garbage disposal system, irregular water supply, sewerage issues and congested streets casketed with wires. The residents haven't been able to get rid of poor infrastructure and narrow parking spaces causing discomfort since a long time, said a local resident of Laxmi Nagar.
"Pedestrian lanes are nearly invisible as adjoining roads are always choked with heavy traffic especially during peak hours. Majority work was initiated by the AAP Government during the final year of their tenure," said Atul Garg, a resident of Preet Vihar.
"Though the condition of the roads has improved but all of this sums down to zero during heavy pour every monsoon. These roads get choked and residents face acute problems because of pathetic condition sewerage lines," he added.
Lalita Park, another area in Laxmi Nagar accommodates large portion of unauthorized colonies where voters face deep troubles combating poor drainage systems. Many residents affirm that neither AAP nor BJP has kept their promises in the past.
"Nitin Tyagi has done a lot of work for us and has lived up to my expectations. Under his governance the condition of roads and pavements has improved. I expect him to return with a bigger mandate," said Sunny Chaurasia, helper at a private clinic from Ward No. 14, Laxmi Nagar. "Despite CCTV cameras and GPS technology being installed in Delhi buses women safety still remains a concern. Free bus rides for women is a good initiative but how does it guarantee me personal safety? " said a woman resident of Shakarpur who did not wish to be named.
Muslims in the constituency appeared to have issues with the sitting MLA. "Free electricity and water supply cannot just guarantee AAP's victory. The constituency requires concrete planning and better infrastructure. Heaps of garbage and litter across the streets can be seen frequently and Municipal Corporation hardly sends workers to clean up the mess. Such unhygienic surroundings are open invitation for plague and other illnesses," said Mohammad Rizwan, a businessman of Vikas Marg, Laxmi Nagar.
"None of the governments have addressed the issue of pollution and environment degradation with certainty and with the ongoing 'Climate Crisis', this should have been their No.1 priority," said Sahil Singhal, a proprietor in Laxmi Nagar.
On January 19 AAP released its "Guarantee Card" enlisting 10 promises they will deliver if elected back in power. Besides continuing their scheme for free electricity (upto 200 units) Arvind Kejriwal looks forward to plant two crore saplings across the National Capital to combat pollution. Subsequently his rival Manoj Tiwari, President of BJP Delhi pitched his remedy for tackling air pollution in and around Delhi. He assured voters to install 60 smog towers across the National Capital to reduce 70 per cent pollution following the polls on February 8.