Delhi Assembly polls: VIP constituency faces waste management issue

Out of Delhi's 70 Assembly constituencies, Patparganj features in the top three for the sheer fact its MLA is also the Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi -- Manish Sisodia. Interestingly, it falls under East Delhi Lok Sabha constituency that was won by BJP's Gautam Gambhir this year by a huge margin.

Sisodia who fought from this constituency in 2013 and won with 50,211 votes sharply increased to 75,477 when Delhi went to polls again in 2015, after no party had a clear majority in 2013 election. This time as well, Sisodia is expected to be fielded by the Aam Aadmi Party from this same constituency.

In 2015, when the AAP swept to power with 67 seats, Sisodia's nearest contender Vinod Kumar Binny got nearly 30,000 votes. It was more or less a bipolar fight in 2015 and the same is expected this time as well.

In terms of vote share, AAP's Sisodia got an emphatic 53.64 per cent while the BJP candidate got 33.12 per cent in 2015. The Congress candidate received less than 12 per cent of the vote share.

In 2020, the five parties who will be fighting it out in this Assembly constituency are AAP, BJP, Congress, BSP and Shiv Sena.

One of the primary problems this constituency faced over the last five years was waste management with waste collectors dumping waste in the middle of the streets, leaving the entire area vulnerable to filthy smell and diseases. However, the AAP all along argued it is due to MCD which is controlled by the BJP.

Sisodia started building up his campaign since the end of last year. Last November, he had inaugurated 70 open gyms in eight residential societies in Patparganj Assembly constituency. This is believed to be a way to woo the voters.

The 70-member Delhi Assembly will go to polls in a single phase on February 8, while the counting of votes will take place on February 11, the Election Commission said on Monday, adding that the model code of conduct has come into play with immediate effect.

The date of notification is January 14, while January 21 will be the last date for filing nominations.

There are 13,750 polling stations in Delhi, a 16.89 per cent increase over the 11,763 polling stations in 2015.