BJP, Cong highlighting poor sanitation facilities, encroachment to defeat AAP in Hari Nagar

Poor sanitation facilities, encroachment and illegal parking are among the issues the BJP and the Congress are highlighting during their poll campaigns to attack the ruling AAP in West Delhi's Hari Nagar assembly constituency.

The BJP has fielded Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga and the Congress, Surender Sethi to take on Aam Aadmi Party's Raj Kumari Dhillon in the constituency, which goes to polls on February 8 along with the other 69 assembly seats of the national capital.

The constituency, which the AAP eyes to retain, mainly comprises middle-class households, concentrated in Janakpuri, and has a large population of migrant workers living in the Mayapuri Industrial Area.

 

While Bagga has announced to install a smog tower to reduce pollution, Dhillon is focusing on door-to-door campaigning to garner votes for the Congress.

"The issues that are handled by MCDs are definitely in a mess. But we must remember who has control of MCDs and the BJP government is at the Centre also. Why don't they address these issues?

"The areas, which are under the Delhi government's purview, have been given urgent attention. Look at our schools and the people will know," Dhillon said at a public meeting.

Bagga's election campaign song "Bagga Bagga har Jagah" has gone viral on social media and

From slapping former AAP leader Prashant Bhushan and disrupting Arundhati Roy's book event to selling tea outside the Congress headquarters as a protest against Mani Shankar Aiyar's remarks, Bagga has never failed to hog the limelight, including for his numerous Twitter spats.

Residents say that the government of the day must take steps to illegal parking, poor drainage and petty crimes are major issues that the government of the day needs to

"There is so much encroachment that it has become almost legal to leave cars parked beside footpaths. There has to be some solution to this. I am yet to hear any of the poll candidates make any promise on the same," Jaspreet Kaur, a school teacher, said.

Rani Devi (52), a domestic help and a resident of Mayapuri, said, "Sanitation facilities are extremely poor. The drainage system is in a mess and sewers overflow every now and then. If it rains, the situation worsens."

Claiming that the area is infamous for "petty crimes", businessman Maninder Ahuja said, "You can hardly see any police patrolling. Snatching and harassment are prevalent."

Dhillon, replaces sitting MLA Jagdeep Singh as AAP's candidate, who was reelected from the seat in 2015 after defeating Avtar Singh of the BJP-SAD with a margin of over 25000 votes.

Voting for the 70-member Delhi assembly will take place on February 8 while the counting of votes will be held on February 11.