The Hindu : New Delhi News : Top-notchers in the race in South Delhi

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Tuesday, Nov 18, 2008
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Top-notchers in the race in South Delhi

Parul Sharma

The richest candidate, a former cop, a Minister, Assembly Speaker….

NEW DELHI: The Jat/Gujjar-dominated South Delhi Lok Sabha constituency has some interesting contests lined up for the Delhi Assembly elections what with an eclectic mix in the fray: the richest candidate, a former cop, Delhi Health Minister, Delhi Assembly Speaker, and four sitting MLAs.

The constituency comprises the Assembly seats of Bijwasan, Palam, Mehrauli, Chhattarpur, Deoli, Ambedkar Nagar, Sangam Vihar, Kalkaji, Tughlakabad and Badarpur.

Both Tughlakabad and Badarpur are likely to witness a three-cornered fight. The former has three Gujjar leaders with the same sub-caste and belonging to the same village locked in a tough contest.

The sitting MLA from the Bharatiya Janata Party, Ramesh Bidhuri, is facing former MLA Shish Pal Singh of the Congress, and Sahi Ram, a sitting MCD councillor from the Bahujan Samaj Party. Eight independent candidates have also thrown theirs hats into the ring.

Badarpur is likely to see another hot contest as sitting MLA Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, who in the 2003 Assembly polls fought on Nationalist Congress Party ticket, is the Congress candidate this time round.

The return of this old Indira Gandhi loyalist to the party fold resulted in former MLA Ram Singh Netaji -- the Congress candidate in the 2003 elections -- being denied the ticket this time. Mr. Ram Singh rebelled and joined the BSP and will prove to be a tough opponent for Mr. Bidhuri. The BJP has fielded Khem Chand from the area.

The Chhattarpur Assembly has two members from the same extended family fighting pitched battles. BSP candidate Kanwar Singh Tanwar, the richest candidate in these elections, and Balram Tanwar of the Congress belong to the same family. Former MLA Brahm Singh Tanwar is contesting on BJP ticket.

Other parties like the Rashtriya Lok Dal, Lok Priya Samaj, Shiv Sena and National Jankranti Dal have also fielded their candidates from Chhattarpur.

Former Delhi Police officer Amod Kumar Kanth, who has been given the Congress ticket to contest from the freshly carved Sangam Vihar, is up against the BJP’s Dr. S. C. L. Gupta. Mr. Kanth’s candidature had sparked off resistance within the Congress with two party rebels -- Vir Singh and Mohammed Anwar Alam -- contesting against him from Sangam Vihar.

Mr. Singh, who fought from the Congress in 2003, has now got an NCP ticket, while Mr. Alam is contesting as an independent candidate. Mr. Singh’s nephew is a sitting Congress councillor in the area.

Another Congress rebel, Mohammed Hanif Malik, had also filed his nomination papers as an independent. However, the party persuaded him to withdraw them this past Friday.

The Jat-dominated Mehrauli seat is also witnessing a triangular contest. Health Minister Yoganand Shastri, who lost his erstwhile constituency of Malviya Nagar to Kiran Walia in the wake of delimitation, has an uphill task ahead. Dr. Shastri and Sher Singh Dagar from the BJP are considered “outsiders” in the area and this is working somewhat in the favour of Satbir Singh, a Congress rebel.

Fighting as an independent, Mr. Singh has everything working for him as he is a local, a strong Jat leader, a former Mayor and a sitting councillor.

In the reserved segment of Ambedkar Nagar, Chaudhary Prem Singh of the Congress, with an impressive 50-year record of representing the area, faces Suresh Chand of the BJP. Mr. Singh has an advantage over his BJP rival, but some sub-caste issues could come into play in both Ambedkar Nagar and adjoining Deoli, another reserved segment. While Mr. Singh belongs to the Jatav community, Mr. Chand is a Valmiki.

Interestingly in Deoli, Chaudhary Prem Singh’s nephew Chaudhary Bhim Singh is contesting on BJP ticket against former Union Minister Buta Singh’s son Arvinder Singh “Lovely”, who is a Valmiki.

It is felt that the Valmiki vote of Ambedkar Nagar and Deoli could be divided as the same family is opposing their community, even though they are contesting from different parties.

The BSP candidates in the two segments could further spell trouble. The party has fielded Shri Lal from Deoli, who is from the Dhobi samaj. He is seen as a key local leader compared to the Congress and BJP candidates who are being dismissed as “outsiders”.

In Kalkaji, former Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee president, ex-Delhi Assembly Speaker and three-time MLA Subhash Chopra is fighting against Jai Gopal Abrol of the BJP. Pitted against a heavyweight, Mr. Abrol is a “dedicated and honest worker” of the area who starts on a clean slate.

Mr. Chopra also has tough competition from the BSP’s Avinash Kaur, who being a Sikh leader could eat into the quintessentially Punjabi vote bank of the area. With the victory margin in the last elections being 18,000 and his constituency being reduced now in the wake of delimitation, it may not be such a smooth ride to victory for Mr. Chopra.

After denying Mahender Yadav a ticket in the last elections owing to his alleged links with controversial godman Chandraswami, the Congress decision to field this non-Jat leader in the Jat-dominated area of Palam came as a surprise for many. His selection was marred by a lot of opposition from within the party ranks. The BJP’s Dharam Dev Solanki, who is a prominent Jat leader of the area, is therefore being seen as a strong contender yet again.

Also, the BJP candidate in Bijwasan, Sat Parkash Rana, is expected to provide a fight to the Congress’s Vijay Kumar Lochav, a sitting MLA, who is battling the anti-incumbency factor against him. The BSP candidates in Palam and Bijwasan, Madan Mohan and Vinod Kumar Yadav, respectively, would also be no pushovers and are poised to give the Congress and the BJP a tough fight.

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