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Purvanchalis have become a formidable force in Delhi’s electorate

- Soni Mishra

A WALK THROUGH the bylanes of the densely-populated Burari area in Delhi unveils a microcosm of migrant life in the national capital. It is marked by the struggle of eking out a living and the difficulties of an existence in the congested unauthorised colonies. The constituency on the outskirts of Delhi also brings to the fore the electoral importance of the migrant population, predominantly made up of people from eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, better known as Purvanchalis.

About half of the 3.6 lakh voters in the Burari assembly constituency are Purvanchalis. Not surprisingly, it is their issues that dominate the electoral discourse, with talks of promoting Bhojpuri and Maithili and building ghats for Chhath puja thrown in for good measure. Even the candidature in the constituency has a strong Purvanchali flavour. The sitting MLA, Sanjeev Jha of the Aam Aadmi Party, is a first-generation migrant from Madhubani, Bihar. His main opponents are candidates fielded by the Janata Dal (United) and the Rashtriya Janata Dal, which are predominantly Bihari parties but have for the first time entered the electoral fray in Delhi in alliance with the BJP and the Congress, respectively.

“The most important issue for us is improving the living conditions in our colonies, be it electricity, water or roads. Also, there is filth everywhere. There is no sanitation and no sewer connection,” said Pushpalata Kumari, 45, an anganwadi worker who migrated to Delhi from eastern Uttar Pradesh 20 years ago.