The North East Delhi parliamentary seat is set to witness a direct contest between BJP candidate Manoj Tiwari and INDIA bloc nominee Kanhaiya Kumar in the Lok Sabha polls in Delhi.
Voting for the seven parliamentary constituencies including North East Delhi seat is scheduled to take place on 25th May in the sixth phase of the general elections.
People from different walks of life under the North East Delhi seat opined that the contest would be between the incumbent BJP MP Tiwari and Kumar, the former president of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU).
The North East Delhi parliamentary once was a stronghold of the Congress. Jai Prakash Agarwal was elected as an MP from the said seat in 2009 Lok Sabha elections. In 2014 general polls, BJP candidate Tiwari trounced Agarwal. In 2019 Lok Sabha polls, he was elected for the second term. He had defeated former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit.
Subhash Chand, a resident of North East Delhi, alleged Tiwari of not doing enough work for the people of the constituency. He, however, categorically said he would give his vote to BJP because of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“In the last 10 years, we have not seen him (Tiwari) in our area. He has not done enough work. People don’t vote for Tiwari, they vote for Modi,” he told the Statesman.
Referring to INDIA bloc candidate Kumar, “Instead of Kanhaiya, the Congress should have fielded JP Agarwal. Congress has lost its foothold in Delhi.”
Notably, the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), as part of the INDIA bloc, are contesting three and four out of the seven parliamentary seats in Delhi.
Jitender Kumar, another resident under the constituency, who is an auto driver by profession, told the Statesman that the people will vote for the INDIA bloc candidate this time and oust the incumbent MP .
“Kanhaiya Kumar will win this time from the North East Delhi Lok Sabha seat. Manoj Tiwari has not done anything in the last 10 years. I saw him after almost 10 years recently when he came here for a campaign. Whatever votes he gets, he will get only in the name of Modi. In the last elections, he won because of Modi,” he said.
Asked about the works done by the BJP-led government at the Centre in the last 10 years, Kumar said, “BJP has not done anything on inflation and unemployment. This government has only thought good for the rich people and not for the poor.”
Referring to the “Mahalakshmi” scheme of Congress which the party vowed to implement if it comes to power at the Centre, he said, “Mahalakshmi scheme will be a game changer for the Congress. I believe women’s votes will be shifted towards the Congress because of this scheme.”
It may be mentioned that last week the Prime Minister addressed a rally in North East Delhi in support of Tiwari and other BJP candidates from different seats, while Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in support of party candidates in Ashok Vihar under Chandni Chowk parliamentary seats.