Delhi elections: Chandni Chowk residents convinced Cong will be back

“I don’t even know who the different candidates are. I always vote for the Congress,” said 86-year-old Babulal, on emerging from a polling booth in Chandni Chowk, which is a Congress stronghold. Dressed in an old blue jacket, Babulal, says his son, has voted “since the time of Nehru”. Asked whether the Congress will return, Babulal says elections are a “game of fate.” [caption id=“attachment_1266099” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  President of the Chandni Chowk RWA Parag Jain (middle) with residents. Firstpost/Pallavi Polanki[/caption] Rakesh Jain, a businessman, is also convinced about three-time congress MLA Prahlad Sawhney’s return to Chandni Chowk with a fourth term. “Yes, the margin of victory will come down but the Congress will win this seat. AAP will only succeed in reducing margins. AAP might have an impact in East and Outer Delhi, but not here.” Despite Modi’s rally in Chandni Chowk on Sunday, there is no mention of the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate here. Among voters supporting the BJP “need for change” and “absence of civic amenities” were main reasons working against the ruling party. A lone voice of support for the AAP came from Sushila Sharma, a housewife. “We’ve got a third option. Our main problem is poor sanitation and the Congress has done nothing for us here. The local MLA gets to work only two months ahead of the election. We are fed up of the Congress. The BJP is no better. I find AAP sincere. While I don’t know the local AAP candidate but I have faith in Kejriwal.” While the voter turn-out was not very encouraging in morning hours, Parag Jain, president of the Chandni Chowk resident welfare association said it would pick up in the afternoon with women voters coming out later in the day to vote. Jain, however, said that there was a lot confusion among voters especially among the elderly who could not locate their booths easily. “The Election Commission did a good job creating awareness but assistance for voters is lacking. Voters are finding it hard to find their booths.” According to Jain, while there is a general anti-incumbency wave, “every constituency has a different voting dynamic” that will ultimately decides who wins. Abhijeet Mukherjee, son of President Pranab Mukherjee, said Jain, recently addressed a public meeting in the constituency appealing to the Bengali community in Chandni Chowk to vote for the Congress. “The Hindu Community here which is dominated Brahmins, Vaishyas, Jains and Bengalis are supporting the Congress party,” says Jain.