Delhi elections 2015: BJP, AAP face off for middle class

NEW DELHI: In Rohini, it’s a battle between BJP and AAP for the middle class ballot. Residents of this constituency, carved out in 2008 by the Delimitation Commission, are mostly businessmen or professionals who want development. A handful of JJ clusters and two villages also fall in Rohini constituency, but they are unlikely to make a dent in this overwhelmingly middle-class vote bank.
A BJP stronghold, Rohini, however, voted AAP’s Rajesh Garg to victory by a margin of less than 2,000 ballots in the last polls. This time, Vijender Gupta has stepped into the fray in a bid to win back his ‘home turf’. AAP has replaced Garg with Punjab Agarwal Sabha president C L Gupta.
“I’ve been councillor here for over a decade. People know me well and are aware that I will deliver,” said Gupta. Gupta lost the election in 2013 from the important New Delhi seat to AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal. Sources said his familiarity with the area and its residents will work in his favour this time.
PM Narendra Modi is scheduled to hold a rally here next month. Rohini is the only constituency in northwest Delhi to have a strong middle-class vote bank so the party’s strategy here is different than other areas. AAPs Sharma is banking on his activist image, higher education plans for Rohini and anti-corruption stance. Congress has fielded Sukhbir Sharma, but the contest seems to be between BJP and AAP.
Rohini has 154 cooperative housing societies and DDA flats. Water supply and power are big issues, and residents want functional streetlights and development of parks and roads. Lack of commuting options is a common complaint. Safety is another issue, especially with many slums located close by. The two villages of this constituency, Naharpur and Rajapur, are still awaiting basic amenities like drinking water, drainage and power supply.