Recent murder in Sudamapuri, roads are troubling Moti Nagar voters

NEW DELHI: When you walk just behind Moti Nagar Metro, garbage on the road and potholes are visible from afar. Although the area, located in the West Delhi district, is known for its bustling market and DDA District Park at Swatantra Bharat Mills, the picture from the ground tells a different tale.

When The New Indian Team visited this Vidhan Sabha constituency after covering Kalkaji and New Delhi, people voiced their opinions. What emerges as their main concerns are safety, the crime rate in the area, and infrastructure and road development.

Referring to the recent murder in Sudamapuri in Moti Nagar, a shopkeeper, Hemanand Thakur, stationed just behind Moti Nagar Metro, said, “Snatching is happening in every street of Moti Nagar; people are being stabbed in broad daylight. Scooters are being stolen. Just a few days ago, someone was murdered, and the culprits are roaming around openly. So, the problem is at every corner of the street.”

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An old man with white hair and a beard, Ashwini Sahani, criticizes the current MLA, Shiv Charan Goel, for not doing any work. Showing his anger towards the ruling Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi, Sahani said, “They have just distributed alcohol in the past three years and done nothing good.”

A young man named Ashok said, “There is not a single clinic in our mohalla. There was one public toilet that also got shut because of poor maintenance, unhygienic conditions, and a stinky odor. Goel does nothing even after we complain.”

Expecting a change, they mentioned Harish Khurana, who is the son of Madan Lal Khurana, former Chief Minister of Delhi, and said that they don’t know the Congress candidate from Moti Nagar, Rajendra Namdhari. Ashok also shows trust in Harish Khurana like many other voters in the area.

When asked about any strong candidate for the position of Chief Minister that BJP has not revealed from their side yet, he says, “He is strong enough to be the next CM if BJP wins.” Criticizing the promises of freebies by political parties, Sahani added, “They are distributing freebies to everyone; that’s why they have no money for the development of roads.”

Another resident of Moti Nagar clad in a waistcoat, Harban Singh said, “They are distributing our tax money as freebies. It’s wrong.”

In the 2020 Delhi Assembly elections, Shiv Charan Goel from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) emerged victorious with 60,622 votes. His main rival, Subhash Sachdeva from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), secured 46,550 votes, while Ramesh Popli from Congress received 3,152 votes.

During the previous 2015 Delhi Assembly elections, Shiv Charan Goel from the AAP also won, garnering 60,223 votes. Subhash Sachdeva from the BJP received 45,002 votes, and Raj Kumar Maggo from Congress obtained 6,111 votes.