Cong newcomer pitted against BJP heavyweight

NEW DELHI: In Krishna Nagar, it's going to be a fight for the Punjabi vote. With an estimated 40% stake in the electorate, both Congress and BJP are hoping to target the Punjabis, including Sikhs. What's bound to make the contest interesting here are the players the sitting heavyweight MLA is BJP state chief Dr Harshvardhan. Facing him is newcomer Deepika Khullar of the Congress, formerly an independent councillor from the area.Interestingly though, Khullar is banking on the support of two high-profile Congress ministers, who are also neighbours: Arvinder Singh Lovely from Gandhi Nagar and Dr A K Walia from Laxmi Nagar. Says Khullar: "Both will be campaigning on my behalf, as parts of Geeta Colony (formerly from Walia's seat) as well as sections of Khureji, Brijpuri and Aram Park (from Lovely's constituency) have now become part of Krishna Nagar post-delimitation.''
On the ground though, the strong BJP presence is easily seen, especially in the main Krishna Nagar locality. While the present MLA is an easily recognised name here, the fact that there are murmurs of anti-incumbency in the constituency are dismissed by Harshvardhan. "Over the past 15 years, I've carefully nurtured the constituency. From roads to sewerage to water availability, I've ensured that the people here get the full benefit. This will be reflected in the vote,'' says Harshvardhan confidently. And with BJP holding three of the four municipal wards in the seat that of Ghondli, Krishna Nagar and Geeta Colony, the support is bound to be substantial.
It's not, however, as simple as Harshvardhan may make it sound. Insiders claim the non-inclusion of Punjabi candidates in the BJP list has built up resentment amongst the party workers, which may have a fallout on Harshvardhan's campaign as well. Moreover, Congress is hoping to wean the Punjabi supporters from their traditional choice BJP with a Punjabi Khatri candidate. Estimates put the Khatri population at a healthy 20%, followed by a substantial Muslim population that has now been added from the earlier Gandhi Nagar seat. This population, concentrated in Khureji, Brijpuri, Aram Park and Taj Sartaj Colony: mostly JJ clusters and an extension of the unauthorized colony, comprises a large portion of the extra 77,000 voters added to the Assembly seat.
That's where the political acumen of the two players is expected to kick in, say observers. With 37 years of experience in the political system Harshvardhan says he did away with his last name so that his caste credentials wouldn't play a part in his political career the state BJP chief is hoping his past record as an MLA will over-ride anti-incumbency as well as the addition of new voters. In contrast, Khullar is relatively a political greenhorn. A Congress councillor in 2002 she got the ticket as the seat had become reserved (for women), the backing behind Khullar is her husband, who has been in politics for over a decade now. Insiders say the ticket was supposed to go to Khullar's husband in the last municipal elections but were not given because of a fallout with Ram Babu Sharma, the then Delhi Congress chief. In consequence, Khullar stood as an independent and won the Anarkali ward seat. This time around, Khullar is hoping that the backing of the Congress will take her from Town Hall to the Delhi Secretariat.