Division Of Favour

As Manoj Tiwari plays up nationalism, the entry of Sheila Dikshit has split the anti-BJP voters

- Soni Mishra

THE GLEAMING Signature Bridge over the Yamuna, inaugurated last November, has become a hotspot for selfie seekers. It has made northeast Delhi much more accessible and has become a symbol for progress and modernity. The northeast region itself, however, has not kept pace with progress and lags other regions in Delhi on several parameters. It has some middle- and upper-middle-class pockets, but most of the region is covered with slums, bad roads, congested lanes and open drains. And as the region, part of the North East Delhi constituency, prepares for a heated contest on May 12, these issues will play on the voter’s mind.

Former chief minister Sheila Dikshit, who has come out of semi-retirement to revive the Delhi Congress, is taking on incumbent and BJP state president Manoj Tiwari and former Delhi AAP convener Dilip Pandey.

The constituency, carved out of East Delhi in 2008, is home to about 300 of 800 unauthorised colonies in the capital. J.P. Agarwal had won the 2009 Lok Sabha election, defeating BJP’s B.L. Sharma by more than 2.2 lakh votes. In 2014, Tiwari rode to victory on the

Modi wave and his own popularity with the Purvanchali voters in the region. He beat Agarwal by more than 3.8 lakh votes.