The service class and the lower middle section of the society gave a thumbs down to the Aam Aadmi Party in the New Delhi parliamentary constituency as they cast their votes for the lok Sabha polls on Thursday. Voters in the politically prestigious constituency shifted back to the BJP fold virtually knocking out Congress from the contest. The trend that emerged on the polling day may come as a setback for the AAP which had swept the election results in Assembly polls winning seven out of the 10 Assembly seats. The rest three seats had gone to the BJP’s kitty while the Congress suffered the most humiliating defeat and ended up losing all seats, including the New Delhi Assembly segment where incumbent Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit had lost to Arvind Kejriwal.
The New Delhi lok Sabha constituency which polled 65.9 per cent votes saw a significant shift of votes across all Assembly segments. The voters’ turnout was, however, higher in villages and slums where BJP appeared to have caught up with the young voters with its promises of development, employment and zero-tolerance for corruption. While voting was relatively slow in lutyens’ Zone and posh localities like Hauz Khas, Greater Kailash, Malviya Nagar, Green Park and RK Puram; it went on at brisk pace in areas like Pillanji Village, Kathputli Colony, Baljeet Nagar and Pandav Nagar. Traditionally voting for the Congress, voters in these areas expressed their support for the BJP.
The people from North Eastern states living in Munirka Village also showed their inclination for Modi’s model of development. Referring to the recent attacks on the community, they rued the current Government did not do sufficient to ensure their safety. “We have voted for a change in Government. We hope the new Government would do the needful to ensure our safety in Delhi,” said Thaingamlu, a woman profession hailing from Manipur.