Atishi vs Ramesh Bidhuri and Alka Lamba, interesting match

This time the election on Kalkaji Assembly seat of Delhi is going to be very exciting. BJP has fielded its senior leader and former MP Ramesh Bidhuri against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Chief Minister Atishi, while Congress has given ticket to its flamboyant leader Alka Lamba. For Atishi, this election will be like a referendum on his popularity and performance while he is the Chief Minister.

Kalkaji seat: History at a glance

Kalkaji seat has always seen interesting contests.

• 1993: BJP’s Purnima Sethi was victorious.
• 1998, 2003, 2008: Subhash Chopra of Congress captured this seat.
• 2013: Harmeet Singh Kalka of Akali Dal won.
• 2015: Avtar Singh of Aam Aadmi Party won the election.
• 2020: AAP’s Atishi defeated BJP candidate.

Issues that could change the outcome

Parking and encroachment are among the major problems at Kalkaji seat.

• Drinking Water and Waterlogging: Waterlogging remains a major problem in areas like Srinivaspuri, Gandhi Camp, and Karpuri Thakur Camp.
• Encroachment: Local people say that encroachment on the roads has hindered traffic.
• Parking: The promise of multi-level parking in Srinivaspuri remains unfulfilled, due to which fights over parking have become common.
• Sanitation and sewerage: The problem of sanitation and sewerage remains serious in Gandhi Camp and slum colonies.
• Drug addiction: Drug addiction is also a big problem in slum clusters.

Equation of voters in Kalkaji

• Total voters: 1,85,837
• Male voters: 1,03,535
• Women voters: 82,296
  (Data is till 29 October 2024)

2020 assembly election results

• Aam Aadmi Party: 55,897 votes (52.28%)
• BJP: 44,504 votes (41.63%)
• Congress: 4,965 votes (4.64%)

opinion of local people

• Vicky, Amritpuri:
  “There is a problem of encroachment on the roads in the area. It is very difficult to go through this.”
• Rajesh Arora, East of Kailash:
  “The promise of building a multi-level parking in Srinivaspuri was not fulfilled. Fights due to lack of parking have become common.”

importance of elections

This election of Kalkaji will not only test the popularity of Chief Minister Atishi, but will also be an opportunity for BJP and Congress to strengthen their political ground. The contest will be triangular between BJP’s Ramesh Bidhuri and Congress’s Alka Lamba.