As the national capital gears up for its approaching Assembly elections on February 5, the residents of Delhi are found to have mixed opinions about the current leadership. With diverse opinions ranging from Delhi’s inability to progress to wanting a shift in the capital city’s political landscape, NewsX had the opportunity to gain a perspective of people belonging to all walks of life.
While several were in support of Arvind Kejriwal and Atishi’s Aam Aadmi Party, many Delhiites have voiced their dissatisfaction with the current government in power.
Voices From Delhi
Manoj, a resident of East Kailash, stated the city needed a change. “AAP has been in power for the last ten years, but Delhi has not seen a lot of progress,” Manoj voiced his concern regarding the infrastructure in the national capital. “I have been living in Delhi since the time when Congress used to be in power. Sheila Dixit was the Chief Minister, and most of the infrastructure—the buildings that we see today—was mostly constructed then. Ever since AAP has come into power, there has been no improvement; in fact, it has only gotten worse.” He further added that there has been a noticeable rift between the central government run by the Bharatiya Janata Party and the state government run by the Aam Aadmi Party, which has brought in a disparity between the progress of the rest of the country and the development of the national capital.
For people who have spent close to half their life in Delhi, all the development under the AAP government in the last ten years seems to be the bare minimum expected of a government, but can it be classified as progress of the national capital as a whole?
Delhi Needs a Change
Santosh Yadav, a resident of Sriniwaspuri, while acknowledging that the AAP government has improved the road conditions in their locality, says other facilities have not seen any improvement. He also added that he would like to see the Bharatiya Janata Party take over the national capital in the upcoming assembly elections because of the various provisions that the party has been able to offer to the people of the other states and also the improvements that the BJP has brought across the country. Santosh’s friend, an anonymous resident of Badarpur, also reiterated that they had not seen any development in the area that they had been living in for most of their lives.
Another anonymous female resident of Delhi brought to attention the lack of security for women in and around the national capital. She stated that she would not be willing to send her daughter out to work in Delhi, especially in the evenings, because of the safety concern. She believes that the current government has not done enough to cater to the issue of women’s safety in the capital city. She also added how the AAP government’s provisions have often been inaccessible, either due to its complicated procedures or the lack of awareness among the residents of Delhi. The government has often failed to spread the message regarding the various schemes and provisions that it has set out for the people of Delhi.
Delhi’s AAP Government is Unfair To Taxpayers
Additionally, another resident of Delhi, Shikha Gupta, feels the Aam Aadmi Party government has made provisions for a section of Delhi-wallas at the cost of the middle class and the tax payers. “AAP is giving away free stuff while we pay for it; how is it fair?” Shikha highlighted.
Nonetheless, while most residents reiterated their need for change and their hope that the Bharatiya Janata Party will come to power in the upcoming Delhi elections, there were several residents living in the Badarpur area of Delhi and Gandhi Camp who pressed on the benefits that they have received from the AAP government, underscoring their wish for the same government to come in power for a third term in 2025. An anonymous woman resident of Gandhi Camp acknowledged how the AAP government had provided free water and bus services that have had a positive impact on lives.
