The Hindu : New Delhi News : Congress has a lot to cheer about in West Delhi

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Tuesday, Dec 09, 2008
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New Delhi

Congress has a lot to cheer about in West Delhi

Madhur Tankha

Six candidates elected from this parliamentary constituency

– Photo: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar

Leader of the Opposition in Delhi Assembly Jagdish Mukhi won by over 15,000 votes in Janakpuri.

– Photo: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar

BJP candidate Harsharan Singh Balli won by 28,000 votes in Hari Nagar.

NEW DELHI: The Congress had a lot to cheer about in the West Delhi parliamentary constituency where six of its candidates emerged victorious on Monday in the Delhi Assembly elections, while the BJP won three seats, two by huge margins in key constituencies, and one seat went to the Indian National Lok Dal.

The BJP candidate from Hari Nagar, Harsharan Singh Balli, who won by over 28,000 votes, described his victory as a foregone conclusion, adding, “I am overwhelmed by the love and affection showered on me by the electorate for the fourth time. Now I will work for development in Janakpuri B and D blocks and Nanakpura which have joined my constituency following delimitation.”

His Congress rival, Ramesh Lamba, described his drubbing at the polls as part of the game: “I am not the complaining type. As I was a sitting MLA from Rajouri Garden, I didn’t have much expectation from the Hari Nagar constituency post delimitation.”

Sitting MLA from Madipur reserved constituency, Mala Ram Gangwal, who defeated his BJP rival Kailash Sankhla by 15,432 votes, attributed his triumph to the development agenda of the Congress Government in Delhi.

“As an MLA I had built the Bhim Rao Ambedkar Park and inaugurated a 22-bed hospital on which work will now start. The terrorist attacks in Mumbai did not cut any ice with the middle and lower middle class in my constituency. In posh areas it might have had some effect but not in my constituency where there are resettlement colonies and villages,” he said.

“Even though the BJP tried to unearth skeletons out of the Congress cupboard, things went awry for them. The Sonia Vihar water treatment plant has also benefited us in the elections. Our opponents are accusing us of rolling back fuel prices with an eye on the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, but this move was due to the reduction in crude prices internationally,” said Mr. Gangwal.

In the morning, as counting of votes began, the BJP candidates looked upbeat, but as soon as the results started pouring in from across the Capital, despondency was palpable on their faces.

Leader of the Opposition in the Delhi Assembly and sitting BJP MLA from Janakpuri, Jagdish Mukhi said the development schemes initiated by him over the years were responsible for his victory for the fourth time in a row.

“Despite the fact that unauthorised colonies were added to my constituency because of delimitation, I won by over 15,000 votes because of providing all basic amenities like uninterrupted power and water supply to the residents of Janakpuri,” he said.

O. P. Babbar of BJP, who defeated his Congress rival and relative Anita Babbar by over 11,000 votes, attributed his victory to the development work undertaken by him in every colony including the “Harijan Basti”.

In Najafgarh, Bharat Singh of Indian National Lok Dal walked home the winner securing 34,028 votes. He defeated his Congress rival Kawal Singh Yadav by over 11,000 votes.

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