Delhi Assembly Elections 2020: Round-up of Delhi constituencies (Part 4)

Janakpuri constituency: A part of West Delhi Lok Sabha constituency, is a traditional BJP stronghold which went to AAP in the 2015 elections. The constituency is primarily a residential area with lower income groups residing in unauthorised colonies like Sitapur, Jeevan Park, Mahavir Enclave and Chanakya Place. Middle class voters can be found in areas like Janakpuri, Shiv Nagar, and Chander Nagar. While AAP's Rajesh Rishi, also the sitting MLA, will seek a second straight term to the Assembly, he will be up against Ashish Sood of the BJP and Radhika Khera of the Congress.

Gokalpur reserved constituency: This constituency is currently represented by AAP's Fateh Singh, who had defeated BJP's Ranjeet Singh in 2015. It lies in in the North East Delhi Assembly constituency and district. This year, AAP has fielded Surendra Kumar , the former state president of the BSP who switched to the Kejriwal-led party in October 2019. The Gokalpuri constituency is dominated by voters from scheduled sub-castes such as the Khatik, Mahala, Koli and Valmiki.

Vishwas Nagar Assembly constituency: In this constituency, the BJP has once again fielded OP Sharma while, Deepak Singla will contest the 2010 polls on AAP ticket and Congress will be represented by Gurcharan Singh Rau from the Congress. A part of East Delhi Lok Sabha constituency it houses an industrial area, which gives rise to concern about pollution of air and water bodies. Recently, the National Green Tribunal directed the Delhi Government to immediately shut down all the industrial units operating in residential areas, including Vishwas Nagar.

Vikaspuri constituency: Situated in West Delhi, Vikaspuri is one of the biggest constituencies in terms of electorate in the Union Territory. AAP candidate Mahinder Yadav is looking to win a third term in the Assembly, while BJP’s Sanjay Singh will try to wrest the seat from the ruling party in his second attempt. This year, the Congress has fielded Mukesh Sharma from Vikaspuri, which began as a Punjabi resettlement colony in West Delhi before undergoing growth in the 1990s, as per reports.

Kondli Assembly constituency: This constituency reserved for the Scheduled Castes, lies in the East Delhi district of Delhi. It was carved out of the East Delhi Parliamentary seat after delimitation in 2008. This year, AAP has fielded Kuldeep Kumar, while the BJP candidate is Rajkumar Dhillon. The Congress has fielded Amrish Singh Gautam, who returned to the party fold after being denied ticket by the BJP. 

Trilokpuri Assembly constituency: Trilokpuri assembly constituency is a part of East Delhi (Lok Sabha constituency). In this constituency, AAP’s Raju Dhingan won in the 2015 Assembly poll, defeating BJP’s Kiran Vaidya by almost 30,000 votes. Trilokpuri is a resettlement colony of residents who were rehabilitated when nearby slums were cleared out in 1975-76. The constituency is reserved for Scheduled Castes. Trilokpuri, Kotla Village, Mayur Vihar, New Ashok Nagar, Mayur Vihar Phase 1 extension fall under this constituency. Since 1984, Trilokpuri has witnessed communal tensions on a regular basis.

New Delhi Assembly constituency: The constituency, dominated by government employees, has a history of being represented by the Delhi chief minister. The constituency also has a substantial population from the trading community and pockets of lower income residential areas. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief and incumbent chief minister Arvind Kejriwal is seeking re-election from the New Delhi Assembly constituency. Seeking to unseat him, the BJP and the Congress have both nominated first-timers from the constituency. A host of Independent candidates, BSP's Ram Gulam and RPI(A)'s Meena Suryawanshi are also contesting the election. 

Shalimar Bagh constituency: A traditional BJP, the fight in Shalimar Bagh, like the rest of the Union Territory, is mainly between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The AAP, which was re-nominated former deputy speaker Bandana Kumari as its candidate, would seek to retain power on the back of the development agenda it pursued in the last five years. On the other hand, the BJP's candidate Rekha Gupta would try to regain the seat it the party to lost out to AAP in 2015. Meanwhile, the Congress has given the ticket to JS Nayol, a prominent local businessman. 

Badarpur Assembly constituency: Lack of basic amenities like potable water, sewer, open drains and roads are likely to take centre stage in the Assembly election to Badarpur constituency. With both the BJP and AAP fielding Gujjar candidates, it would be interesting to see how much the Gujjar vote would split in the upcoming election. The AAP has denied the ticket to incumbent ND Sharma and given it to local strongman and former Congress leader Ram Singh Netaji while the BJP has fielded Ramveer Singh Bidhuri. 

Mangolpuri Assembly constituency: A reserved constituency, Mangolpuri is set to see a straight contest between the AAP's Rakhi Birla and the BJP's Karam Singh Karma. Birla, a social worker-turned-politician, became known as a giant killer after she defeated former Congress minister Raj Kumar Chauhan. Crime is a huge problem in Mangolpuri. If Delhi is known as the 'crime capital' of India, Mangolpuri must shoulder a lot of the blame