New Delhi: There are 675 slum clusters in Delhi, house to over 15.5 lakh individuals, who make up roughly 10 % of the citizens, incomes them the standing of a essential voter base within the nationwide capital. With the Delhi polls simply three weeks away (February 5), political events have turned their consideration to this influential demographic.
Within the three-way contest for the Delhi Chief Minister’s chair, the Aam Aadmi Occasion (AAP), Bharatiya Janata Occasion (BJP), and Congress have all forged their nets, competing fiercely to win over the residents of those areas.
The AAP goals to retain its core voter base of slum-dwellers, whereas the BJP seeks to make inroads into this non-traditional stronghold. In the meantime, the Congress strives to reclaim assist misplaced to the AAP over the previous decade, by conducting door-to-door surveys and interplay within the slums.
BJP vs AAP vs Congress
Final week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated 1,667 newly constructed constructed flats for the dwellers of Jhuggi Jhopri clusters, handed over keys to eligible beneficiaries at Swabhiman Flats in Ashok Vihar, Delhi and jumpstarted the important thing marketing campaign rhetoric.
Union Dwelling Minister Amit Shah joined in together with his tackle to the ‘Jhuggi Basti Pradhan Sammelan’ right here, pledging that each slum dweller could be offered a home if the BJP wins the polls. The BJP has been leveraging the ‘Sheesh Mahal’ moniker to criticise Kejriwal, accusing him of corruption and residing a lavish way of life within the 6, Flagstaff Street bungalow throughout his tenure as Delhi CM, whereas the poor proceed to battle underneath AAP’s governance.
The BJP has time-and-again reiterated the Prime Minister’s welfare schemes, starting from loans and housing to ration and cooking gasoline. In the meantime, the AAP has criticised the BJP for demolitions in slums throughout Tughlakabad, Okhla, Sundar Nagari and different areas forward of the 2023 G-20 Summit.
Nevertheless, the saffron social gathering began course correction quickly after claiming all seven seats in Lok Sabha elections, final 12 months and launched the ‘Jahan Jhuggi Wahan Makaan’ scheme, which the AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal has termed an ‘eyewash’. The previous Delhi CM additionally mentioned that the BJP has plans to ‘demolish all of the slums and purchase the land’ shortly after the polls are over.
“They need your votes first and your land after the elections,” Kejriwal mentioned, referring to the BJP. At an occasion in Shakur Basti on Sunday, Kejriwal challenged Union Dwelling Minister Amit Shah to signal an affidavit guaranteeing homes for slum dwellers and withdrawing associated instances, vowing to not contest the upcoming elections if Shah agrees.
The Congress, then again, is seeking a sturdy ballot plank. Rahul Gandhi, the Chief of the Opposition within the Lok Sabha, is about to launch the social gathering’s marketing campaign on Monday with a high-profile “Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim, Jai Samvidhan” rally in Zero Pushta, Seelampur — a locality identified for its slums and unauthorised colonies. To bolster its outreach, the social gathering has enlisted the assist of former MLA and influential Dalit chief Veer Singh Dhingan, alongside ex-AAP MLA Rajendra Pal Gautam, aiming to strengthen its place inside key voter segments.
The Notorious Freebie Method
Delhi’s slums are primarily house to migrants from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan, representing varied communities. Many of those residents profit from the AAP’s welfare schemes, akin to free electrical energy and mohalla clinics. The AAP authorities offers 200 models of free electrical energy and 20,000 liters of free water monthly to every family. It additionally guarantees Rs 2,100 monthly for eligible ladies underneath MMMSY.
The BJP has raised the stakes, promising to keep up all present AAP schemes and even improve them. It suggests growing free electrical energy models to 300 and providing Rs 2,500 monthly to eligible ladies.
Congress has additionally made its personal guarantees. It plans to provide Rs 2,500 to ladies and Rs 8,500 to educated unemployed youth for one 12 months. The grand outdated social gathering additionally ensures a medical insurance cowl of Rs 25 lakh underneath the ‘Jeevan Raksha Yojana’.
Whose method will yield fruitful outcomes will probably be revealed on February Eight after the counting of votes. Whereas the BJP and Congress intention to return to energy, AAP is eyeing its third consecutive time period. In 2020, AAP secured 62 of the 70 seats within the Delhi Meeting.
