Delhi dilemma: which way
will voters swing
New
Delhi, Nov 26 (IANS) The Indian capital, home to 16 million
people, is all set to vote in the assembly polls Saturday.
But even as analysts say that genuine issues - namely, development,
price rise and terrorism - are on the poll agenda this time,
voters don't seem to have made up their minds yet.
In
almost all political meetings addressed by both the ruling
Congress and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) across
the city, candidates and their respective political bosses
inevitably raise these three issues, also striking a chord
with voters.
"This
time around where the stakes are high for both parties, they
have raised real issues that affect people. The BJP is harping
on the failure of the Congress to keep a check on inflation
and the mouting terror strikes while the latter is playing
its trump card on its developmental record," political
analyst G.V.L. Narasimha Rao, who predicts it will be a tight
contest, told IANS.
Around
10.7 million people are eligible to cast their votes for elections
to the 70-member Delhi assembly. Campaigning will end Thursday.
Voters
have been turning up in huge numbers to attend the numerous
political rallies, but many are yet to make up their mind
about which party would be best suited to tackle these issues
when voted to power.
For
many families who live above the bread line in the city, price
blips have hurt.
"Even
in winter when the prices of vegetables are supposed to be
cheap, there is no respite. Everything has become expensive
and this has made me worried," says Rajan, 28, who makes
a living by selling snacks and tea in a makeshift shelter
outside the Holy Family Hospital.
"Political
parties have been making promises as always but nobody does
anything for the poor. This time I will think hard before
casting my vote."
Middle
class families feel political parties have raised the best
possible issues concerning their lives, but they too seem
confused about whom to vote for as nothing changes with a
change in government.
"Both
the BJP and the Congress promise to fulfil the dream of a
good and secure life and they campaign to woo voters accordingly.
For me, the issue of security arising out of terrorism and
inflation are important questions. But will these dreams ever
be translated into action?" queries Mohammed Tariq, 30,
a journalist.
Congress
party president Sonia Gandhi, while kicking off her first
rally in the city over the weekend in northwest Delhi's Mongolpuri,
focussed precisely on these issues.
"Terrorists
have no religion and their only motive is to spread terror
and fear in society. Terrorism should not be associated with
any religion or community, but some political parties do it
as a part of their divisive politics," she said.
Chief
Minister Sheila Dikhit, also of the Congress, asked people
to vote for her party because of the development works carried
out in her two terms and held out the promise of making the
capital a "world class" city in her next tenure.
The
BJP, on its part, has used every trick in the book - from
releasing huge ads in newspapers and local movie channels
on the cable network, billboards and FM radio stations - to
project itself as the only alternative.
"Terrorism
and inflation figure prominently in our campaigns as on both
counts the Congress has failed miserably. We will usher in
a model for governance where people are safe and secure,"
said the BJP's chief ministerial candidate V.K. Malhotra.
Indo-Asian
News Service
Prabuddha
Bharata>>>
Vedanta
Kesari>>>
Vedanta
Mass Media>>>
|