Delhi: Rajinder Nagar bypoll tussle builds steam ahead of voting next week

The constituency will vote on June 23 and the results will be declared on June 26.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) utilised the only weekend ahead of the bypoll in Rajinder Nagar for aggressive campaigns, as the west Delhi neighbourhood saw both parties bring out senior leaders to drum up support for their candidates.

Delhi chief minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal.(ANI)

While Delhi chief minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal held his second straight roadshow in the constituency seeking votes for the party’s candidate Durgesh Pathak, the saffron party had Union railway minister Ashwani Vaishnav and Union minister of state for parliamentary affairs and culture Arjun Ram Meghwal campaigning for their candidate Rajesh Bhatia.

Senior leaders of the two parties, in the forefront of the contest, chose to campaign in the same Naraina village on Saturday.

The constituency will vote on June 23 and the results will be declared on June 26.

Kejriwal reinforced the party’s commitment to social welfare and said, “The BJP can’t bring progress, so there is no point voting for it. Only AAP and its government can bring development to Delhi. If you will vote for the BJP; they will only pick fights and let no work happen. Just like last time [the 2020 election], vote for AAP, press the jhaadu [broom] button, and make us win by double the margin.”

“Some of Rajinder Nagar’s issues are in process of being resolved, I guarantee you that I will get all the work done personally. In the past seven years, Delhi has made remarkable progress in electricity and water supply. We transformed schools, hospitals and built mohalla clinics and offered free bus transport to women,” Kejriwal added.

The BJP’s Bhatia, meanwhile, met residents from blocks A to G of New Rajinder Nagar. Vaishnav, meanwhile, assured residents that their grievances will be addressed.

“Due to the ban on the use of an overbridge connecting Naraina to the cremation ground and thereafter, people are facing a lot of commuting issues. Vaishnav assured of redressal of their grievances. He appealed to the party workers to dedicate the next five days to ensure Bhatia’s win,” the BJP said in a statement.

Meghwal said, “In every corner of the country, the benefits of Ayushman Bharat, Mudra Loan Scheme, housing scheme, Atal Bima scheme are being given to the people, especially the poor. But the Kejriwal government is not implementing them in Delhi due to political reasons, due to which people are upset with him.”