Harsh Vardhan unlikely to have tough time in retaining seat

But Congress' V K Monga, a popular face in the area, is likely to make the contest interesting

For BJP's chief ministerial candidate Harsh Vardhan, retaining his stronghold of Krishna Nagar for the fifth consecutive term may not be very difficult though Congress' V K Monga, a popular face in the area, is likely to make the contest interesting.

Though there has been dissatisfaction over Vardhan's performance as MLA in the last five years, residents said his "clean" image and projection as chief ministerial candidate have put him ahead in the race.

Monga, a former BJP councillor who was a close associate of Vardhan, has been campaigning hard in the constituency since he switched loyalty to Congress a couple of months ago.

The Aam Aadmi Party has fielded 65-year-old Ishrat Ali Ansari, a lawyer who had unsuccessfully contested Lok Sabha elections in Amroha in Uttar Pradesh.

In 2008, Vardhan had defeated his nearest Congress rival Deepika Khullar by a margin of 3,204 votes.

The assembly seat's four wards -- Kondli, Krishna Nagar, Geeta Colony and Anar Kali -- have distinct demography ranging from middle class to lower-middle class.

Narrow lanes, illegal parking, broken roads and clogged traffic and poor drainage system are some of the major issues in Krishna Nagar, said residents.

"There are plenty of problems here. Traffic congestion, especially in the market area, has aggravated and the quality of roads has declined," said Nitin Rathod, a resident of Krishna Nagar who works with a private firm.

Another resident Gautam Gupta said besides the familiar problems like parking, water supply and drainage, high electricity and water tariff is also a major concern for the residents.

"I received water bill of Rs 6,000, which does not match my usage," said Gupta.

Some people, however, said Vardhan has done well as area MLA and they are satisfied with his performance.

"There are no major issues in the area. We do get water and electricity properly," said A K Goel, a resident Krishna Nagar for 35 years.