New Delhi Lok Sabha Elections 2024: BJP Heft, Sushma Swaraj Legacy Give Bansuri Swaraj Edge Over AAP's Somnath Bharti – News18

The New Delhi Lok Sabha constituency is one seven parliamentary constituencies in the national capital. It is a general category seat and comprises parts of Central Delhi, South Delhi, South East Delhi and West Delhi districts, apart from the entire New Delhi district. Ten Assembly segments fall under the New Delhi Lok Sabha seat — Karol Bagh, Patel Nagar, Moti Nagar, Delhi Cantt, Rajinder Nagar, New Delhi, Kasturba Nagar, Malviya Nagar, RK Puram and Greater Kailash — all of which are currently held by the Aam Aadmi Party.

Polling Date — May 25, 2024; Phase 6

Sitting MP — Meenakshi Lekhi (BJP)

Candidates — Bansuri Swaraj (BJP), Somnath Bharti (AAP)

Political Dynamics

• Constituency Profile: Formed in 1951, the New Delhi Lok Sabha seat, which houses the residences and workplaces of all key officeholders in the country, is the oldest of the seven constituencies of Delhi.
• It is home to a mix of the elite, the middle-class central government employees and those from the lowest strata of the society.
• It houses prestigious institutions like Parliament, Supreme Court, central government offices, official residences of the President, Prime Minister, all the Union Ministers, top civil, judicial, military officials and the diplomatic enclave.
• The constituency also has high-profile markets like the Khan Market, Defence Colony, South Extension, Connaught Place, Green Park, Hauz Khas and Lajpat Nagar.
• New Delhi is among the few Lok Sabha constituencies in the country where caste politics does not play a crucial role in elections. In fact, this time, it is national issues like Article 370, economy, and foreign diplomacy as well as the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal that are on voters’ minds in this constituency.
• The upcoming election in New Delhi is a direct fight between BJP candidate Bansuri Swaraj and AAP’s Somnath Bharti, both from the legal profession. The former has a distinct advantage majorly because of the saffron party’s popularity and the legacy of her late mother and former Union minister Sushma Swaraj.
• Banking on Bansuri: The New Delhi constituency has traditionally favoured the BJP more than it has the Congress, be it in the saffron party’s earlier avatar of Bharatiya Jana Sangh, Janata Party or its current modern-day version.
• The list of former BJP MPs from the seat includes two stalwarts who changed the course of Indian politics — former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and his deputy prime minister LK Advani.
• Just as Meenakshi Lekhi had added her name to the esteemed list in 2014 and 2019, it is Bansuri Swaraj, daughter of the late Sushma Swaraj, attempting the feat in her maiden election this time.
• At 40, Bansuri Swaraj is the BJP’s youngest candidate for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
• An Oxford-taught practising lawyer in the Supreme Court, Swaraj claims to have the full support of Meenakshi Lekhi, the two-time sitting MP and Union minister, who was dropped by the saffron party this time.
• In the 2014 elections, Lekhi had wrested the seat from the Congress, beating AAP’s Aashish Khaitan and Congress’s Ajay Maken. She had polled 4,53,350 votes (46.75%) votes.
• In the 2019 elections, Lekhi retained the seat, beating nearest rival Ajay Maken by 2,56,504 votes. She had cornered 54.77% of the vote share.
• Sources say in the run-up to the 2024 elections, there were concerns about Lekhi’s winnability and the fact that she is perceived as inaccessible in the constituency.
• Bansuri Swaraj is one of the two women candidates fielded by the BJP in Delhi as the party views for a clean sweep on all seven seats in the national capital for the third time in a row.
• Instead of giving speeches from the stage, Bansuri Swaraj has been more comfortable going among the people and interacting one-on-one with smaller groups of citizens.
• Her polite demeanour and affable manner are some of the qualities that have endeared members of the public to her. The party workers and leaders are also happy that she has been making seniors a part of her campaign. Manoj Tiwari, the only sitting MP being repeated by the BJP in Delhi, has campaigned for Bansuri Swaraj.
• But more than her own personality, it is the ‘Modi ki Guarantee’ and Sushma Swaraj legacy that are her top two pitches, in that order. She has been citing the development and beautification works carried out in the constituency for the G20 Summit by the Narendra Modi government.
• Controversial Clients: In the initial days of campaigning, the AAP had tried to make Bansuri Swaraj’s legal clientele a subject of controversy, claiming she had represented “anti-national forces” in court.
• AAP leader and Delhi minister Atishi had said at a press conference that between 2012 and 2014, Bansuri Swaraj had defended fugitive Lalit Modi in lower courts, the High Court and the Supreme Court in the case of his passport. She further claimed Lalit Modi had also thanked Bansuri Swaraj via tweets for fighting his case.
• Atishi added that when two women were stripped, assaulted and paraded naked during the violence in Manipur, Swaraj stood for the BJP-led Centre in the Supreme Court.
• Another case cited by Atishi was that of the Chandigarh mayoral elections where Swaraj stood for the “fake mayor from the BJP in the Supreme Court”.
• The AAP minister said Swaraj should apologise to the people of the country for taking up such cases and also demanded that the saffron party replace her.
• Hitting back, Bansuri Swaraj questioned the AAP on its choice of candidate “who was beaten up by his own cadre in Rajendra Nagar”.
• G20 Boost: The beautification and development works carried out by the Narendra Modi government in the constituency, particularly in the market areas, is a big point in favour of the BJP in this election.
• Several markets now have multi-level parking, adding to higher footfall, much to the pleasure of the traders and shop-owners.
• AAP-Congress Challenge: Opposition INDIA bloc partners AAP and Congress have joined hands this time to give the BJP a direct, one-to-one fight in all seven parliamentary constituencies of Delhi.
• In the 2014 and 2019 elections, both parties had fought separately, making it a triangular contest, thus splitting anti-BJP votes. Combining forces this time, they hope, will be enough to dethrone the saffron party.
• As per its seat-sharing deal with the Congress, the Aam Aadmi Party is fighting the New Delhi Lok Sabha seat and has fielded Somnath Bharti from the seat.
• The New Delhi Lok Sabha seat is as much a matter of prestige for the AAP as for the BJP. The namesake Assembly segment has elected Arvind Kejriwal for three consecutive terms since 2013.
• Bharti is also a consecutive three-time MLA from Malviya Nagar which falls under the New Delhi Lok Sabha constituency. In the 2020 Delhi Assembly elections, he had polled 57.97% vote share.
• In his Assembly constituency, Bharti is popular for listening to public grievances and addressing their concerns within a dedicated time-frame. He is also said to be active on community-level WhatsApp groups.
• Like Arvind Kejriwal, Somnath Bharti is an IIT graduate. And like his BJP rival, the 49-year-old is a lawyer.
• Like Bansuri Swaraj, Bharti is also focusing on national issues in his election pitch, pitting the polls as one to “save India’s democracy”.
• Delhiite vs Outsider Debate: A resident of Malviya Nagar, which comes under the New Delhi constituency, Somnath Bharti has been trying to raise the ‘outsider’ flag against Bansuri Swaraj since her mother Sushma Swaraj had for long contested from Vidisha in Madhya Pradesh.
• Countering the campaign, Bansuri Swaraj, in an interview to News18, emphasized that she is a quintessential “Dilli ki Kudi” (Delhi girl) who born.
• Trying to one-up Somnath Bharti on optics, Swaraj even quipped that “Baba Somnath is with PM Modi”, a reference to the Lord Somnath Temple in Gujarat and a pun on her rival’s name.
• Arvind Kejriwal’s Arrest: After his former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was arrested in a money laundering case related to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam on March 21, bringing about a huge twist in the election narrative.
• It is a major talking point in the New Delhi Lok Sabha constituency since Kejriwal is MLA from the New Delhi Assembly seat.
• With the arrest coming in the middle of general elections and soon after the arrest of then Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren, the INDIA bloc accused the ruling BJP of using central agencies to muzzle the Opposition.
• The bail granted by the Supreme Court to Kejriwal for campaigning till June 2 added another twist to the elections, this time favouring the AAP and INDIA bloc.
• During campaigning, the BJP has been citing the arrest as purported proof of corruption while the AAP has been using it to gain sympathy votes and accuse the Narendra Modi government of dictatorship.
• The AAP strategy seems to be working in the slum clusters of the constituency where many locals say the arrest of Kejriwal could have been avoided.
• AAP’s Nukkad Natak: Borrowing from the street plays typical of Delhi University and JNU campuses, the AAP has been staging its own nukkad nataks in several slum and lower-income localities.
• The theatrics take place on a stage that have two boxes/compartments/installations – one says ‘washing machine’, meant to refer to the BJP, and the other says ‘jail’.
• The narrator/moderator on the stage then points to someone in the crowd and a group of volunteers drag the person to the stage. This person is also an actor planted in the crowd, wearing placards with names like ‘Ajit Pawar’ and ‘Sanjay Singh’.
• The person is asked to choose between the jail or the washing machine. The actor playing ‘Ajit Pawar’ chooses the washing machine and after a couple of minutes emerges wearing clean saffron kurta, while the actor playing ‘Sanjay Singh’ is ‘sent to jail’. The inference being the BJP has been letting off corruption-accused politicians who join its alliance while jailing the Opposition.
• Political observers say such dramatic antics are enjoyed by crowds in slum clusters and the entertainment value may be top of recall when a voter enters the polling booth.
• Swati Maliwal Assault Case: The BJP has been trying to make the Swati Maliwal assault case an election issue in Delhi but political analysts say the case hasn’t had the kind of time-frame needed to become a voting factor on May 25.
• Swati Maliwal, AAP’s Rajya Sabha MP and former Delhi Commission for Women chairperson, has alleged that she was assaulted by Kejriwal’s aide Bibhav Kumar when she had gone to meet the CM at his residence on May 13.
• A mobile phone video surfaced online in which Maliwal was seen sitting on a sofa at the CM’s house and guards were trying to convince her to leave. She can be heard insisting on calling the police. The police said they were yet to verify its authenticity. Bibhav Kumar was arrested on Saturday from the chief minister’s residence.
• With the BJP citing it at an example of AAP’s disrespect towards women, the controversy has dragged in the family of Somnath Bharti as well.
• Bharti’s wife Lipika Bharti has urged Union Finance Minister and BJP leader Nirmala Sitharaman not to use her family matter for “political mileage”. Her statement came after Sitharaman cited past instances of AAP leaders, including Bharti, being accused of attacking women.
• In 2015, Lipika had filed a complaint against Bharti with the Delhi Commission for Women for allegedly subjecting her to domestic violence and trying to kill her. The Delhi Police had subsequently registered an FIR. However, in 2019, the Delhi High Court allowed Bharti’s plea to quash the criminal case after noting that the MLA and his wife were “living happily together”.
• Voting Segments: The New Delhi constituency can be broadly classified into four large vote banks – traders, bureaucrats and government employees, the staff who serve them and the JJ or slum clusters.
• Traders who live in and around market areas like Khan Market, Defence Colony, South Extension, Sarojini Nagar, Connaught Place, Green Park, Hauz Khas and Lajpat Nagar. This segment traditionally votes for the BJP and is likely to continue.
• The staff who serve the VIP politicians, bureaucrats and government employees. These voters account for big chunk of the electorate in the areas behind Tughlaq Road and Krishna Menon Marg. They have been firmly behind the AAP for the last two elections and will likely vote for the AAP again this time.
• The JJ clusters in Katwaria Sarai, Kalu Sarai, Jia Sarai, Ber Sarai, RK Puram, Munirka and Dev Nagar are among the pro-AAP pockets.
• Government servants and employees populate areas like RK Puram and other localities with government housing. These votes will be split between both parties.
• Voter apathy has been a big issue when it comes to this last segment. In previous years when voting fell on a Friday or Monday, the middle and upper-middle class families were found to skip voting in exchange for an extended weekend.
• With voting falling on a Saturday this time, there are concerns again about the turnout among the voters in such neighbourhoods.
• To encourage voting, several market associations in major markets have put up promotional offers, offering discounts to customers with inked fingers.

Key Constituency Issues

• Price Rise: The rising fuel and food prices have been cited as a major issue by locals in New Delhi constituency, particularly middle and lower income areas.
• Several families in slum clusters say they the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana has been brought about huge relief but the subsequent refills of the cylinder remain an expensive luxury.
• Some say the rising prices of vegetables and fruits means they have had to pick and choose between the kind of nutrition they can provide to their children.
• Coupled with the petrol and diesel prices, some families say they their basic monthly expenses leave hardly anything for savings, saying one health emergency could put them under.
• Lack of Green and Open Spaces: Land-locked Delhi is notorious for its toxic air but sadly the hazardous air pollution never makes it directly and verbatim to the list of voter concerns. However, in New Delhi constituency, it has manifested as a demand for more green and open spaces.
• Environmental activists and citizens groups have been highlighting and protesting against the mass felling of trees and green cover for projects like G20 beautification or the redevelopment of the Central Vista.
• The government has said that the capital will suffer no green loss and that trees will be replanted instead of being cut, but activists say the replantation is visible on the ground yet.
• Water Bills: Middle class voters complain of rising water bills in the constituency. Several areas that geographically fall under South Delhi but are part of the New Delhi constituency suffer severe water shortage in summers as well. Some of these localities include Vasant Vihar and Vasant Kunj. Locals in these areas also complain of erratic water supply.
• These complaints bode negatively for AAP, to which the Delhi Jal Board reports. Making matters worse for the party in the New Delhi constituency is the fact that AAP candidate Somnath Bharti is the vice-chairman of the DJB.
• In December 2023, Bharti had alleged that all maintenance and developmental works of the DJB have “come to a standstill” due to the delay in disbursal of funds from the finance secretary.
• Pragati Maiden Tunnel Issues: The tunnel has faced many issues since its inauguration in June 2022, including water leakage, cracks, water-logging and uneven kerbstones.
• The tunnel has been shut down multiple times for waterlogging and repairs, most notably for a month last monsoon.
• The biggest problem, however, is that it is a major trigger for bottleneck traffic that has a ripple effect in nearby areas.
• As per reports, commuters complain of being stuck inside the tunnel for 30 minutes every evening during peak hours. Those heading to Noida, Ghaziabad and east Delhi have a particularly hard time.
• The road starts to narrow in front of the Patiala House Courts. The funnel effect of the two-lane road creates a bottleneck starting in an already busy area.
• The road widens to three lanes when one enters the tunnel but the width further down varies from 28.2 metres to 42 metres, slowing down traffic.
• Exiting the tunnel towards Noida and Ghaziabad is another bottleneck as the road narrows to two lanes again.

Voter Demographics

• Buddhist — 0.18%
• Christian — 2.47%
• Jain — 0.64%
• Muslim — 10.49%
• Sikh — 3.08%
• Scheduled Caste — 21.14%

Major Infra Projects in New Delhi Constituency

• Central Vista Redevelopment Project: The ambitious redevelopment project of the nation’s power corridor, Central Vista, which includes the new Parliament building inaugurated in May last year, is the biggest infra project to have been undertaken in the New Delhi constituency and the national capital for decades.
• The project was announced in September 2019 and Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of the new Parliament building on December 10, 2020. Tata Projects Ltd led the construction.
• Besides the new Parliament building, the Central Vista project also includes a common central secretariat, revamping of the 3-km-long Rajpath, from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate.
• Kartavya Path: The first project to be completed under the redevelopment plan was the revamp of the Central Vista avenue stretching from Vijay Chowk to India Gate.
• ‘Rajpath’ — the ceremonial boulevard of the national capital that connects the Raisina Hill complex to India Gate — was renamed Kartavya Path in September 2022 and inaugurated as part of the revamped Central Vista Avenue by PM Modi shortly after.
• Rajpath began its journey as Kingsway, a central axis built as part of New Delhi after the imperial seat of the administration was shifted here from Calcutta, having been announced by King George V at the 1911 Delhi Durbar.
• From witnessing the dawn of Independence to playing host to annual Republic Day celebrations over the last seven decades, Rajpath has witnessed colonial rule and also basked in the glory of a free, democratic nation.
• The renaming of the stretch had triggered a sharp reaction from members of many Opposition parties, including the Congress and the TMC.
• Historians have argued that the ‘Raj’ in ‘Rajpath’ refers to the idea of a State and not ‘Raja’ or king.
• Inaugurated the revamped stretch, PM Modi had called it a symbol of India’s “slavery”.
• New Parliament Building: Built at an estimated cost of Rs 1,200 crore, the four-storey Parliament House is the second project to be completed under the Central Vista redevelopment plan. It has a built up area of 64,500 square metre.
• The new Parliament building comfortably seats 888 members in the Lok Sabha chamber and 300 in the Rajya Sabha chamber. In the case of a joint sitting of both Houses, a total of 1,280 members can be accommodated in the Lok Sabha chamber.
• The Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha chambers boast of a digitised voting system, well-engineered acoustics, and state-of-the-art audio-visual systems to ensure effective legislative proceedings.
• The interiors of the Lok Sabha chamber are based on the theme of the national bird peacock, while that of the Rajya Sabha depict national flower lotus.
• The building has three ceremonial foyers where huge brass images of Mahatma Gandhi, Chanakya, Gargi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, BR Ambedkar, and the Chariot Wheel from the Sun Temple at Konark are on display.
• Common Central Secretariat: After the inauguration of Kartavya Path and the new Parliament building, focus has shifted to the Common Central Secretariat.
• Infrastructure firm Larsen & Toubro is constructing the first three buildings of the Common Central Secretariat. It won the bid in October 2021 by quoting Rs 3,142 crore. The CPWD has set a deadline of two-and-half years for the completion of these buildings.
• Under the Common Central Secretariat, the government plans to construct 10 buildings that will house ministries and other offices.
• According to the housing ministry, Rs 1,000 crore is annually spent on rent for various government offices and Common Central Secretariat will save the amount.
• Shastri Bhawan, Udyog Bhawan, Nirman Bhawan and Rail Bhawan are among other buildings that are likely to be demolished to build the Common Central Secretariat.
• New PM Residence: Construction of the Vice President Enclave and the Prime Minister’s new residence and office are the next important parts of the Central Vista project.
• The new PM residence will be constructed adjacent to the Rashtrapati Bhawan and South Block.
• In 2022, the CPWD had estimated the project (construction and maintenance for five years) to cost Rs 360 crore and take 21 months to complete.
• On July 18, 2022, the CPWD, which comes under the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry, had first floated a pre-qualification bid, but had withdrawn it on July 22 citing “administrative reasons”. It again cancelled pre-qualification bids in September that year.
• Executive Enclave: Larsen & Toubro Limited is constructing the Executive Enclave housing the PMO, cabinet secretariat, India House and the National Security Council Secretariat at an estimated cost of Rs 1,189 crore.
• The company was awarded the tender in November 2022 and the project is slated to be completed in 24 months.
• The Executive Enclave will come up on the south side of the South Block. India House will be used as a conference facility like the Hyderabad House where high-level talks, especially with top visiting leaders of various countries, are currently held.
• Under the Central Vista redevelopment project, the North and South blocks, which symbolise the government authority since their inception in Lutyens’ Delhi, will be converted into national museums. The North and South Blocks are likely to reflect the history of India and its struggle for Independence.
• The government also plans to build MPs’ chambers that will come up on the land where the Transport Bhawan and Shram Shakti Bhawan are located.
• The government will also set up a large Defence Enclave to house the personnel and top brass of the defence establishment. The Vice-President’s house and its nearby buildings will be demolished to pave the way for constructing the enclave.
• The new building of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) will be constructed beside the National Archives of India in 2024-2025.
• The Central Conference Centre is slated to be built by December 2026.
• Bharat Mandapam: The newly built international convention and exhibition centre at Pragati Maidan is a state-of-the-art complex that hosted the G20 Summit last year.
• It was officially inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi on July 26 last year and boasts of cutting-edge amenities, including exhibition halls, a convention center, and an amphitheatre.
• The venue also has an impressive multi-purpose hall and plenary hall that can together accommodate up to 7,000 attendees, surpassing the seating capacity of Sydney Opera House in Australia.
• Built at an investment of around Rs 2,700 crore, it has numerous meeting rooms, auditoriums, lounges, amphitheatre, and a fully-equipped business center, making it apt to host a wide spectrum of events.
• Bharat Mandapam covers an area of 123 acres and has been developed as India’s largest MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) destination. With a huge campus area and state of the art facilities, it ranks among the top exhibition and convention complexes globally.
• The Bharat Mandapam at the Pragati Maidan site also abuts Lutyens’ Delhi and also has a ‘Window to Delhi’ at the highest level which looks out to the Kartavya Path, the India Gate and the canopies of the Rashtrapati Bhawan.
• Pragati Maidan Tunnel Project: Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on June 19, 2022, inaugurated the 1.3-km-long tunnel and five underpasses as part of the Pragati Maidan Integrated Transit Corridor Project that aims to ease connectivity between central Delhi with the eastern parts of the city and the satellite towns of Noida and Ghaziabad.
• In less than two years, however, the structure has run into trouble with cracks, waterlogging and seepage raising eyebrows.
• The Delhi government’s Public Works Department (PWD) has issued a notice to Larsen and Toubro over the alleged “glaring infirmities” in the project while demanding a “token amount” of Rs 500 crore from the firm and directing it to immediately initiate repair work.
• Larsen and Toubro has said that they have made a counterclaim of Rs 500 crore against the PWD.
• Ashram Flyover Extension: On March 6, 2023, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal inaugurated the Ashram flyover extension that brought huge relief for people commuting between Delhi and Noida. The flyover connects to key areas of the New Delhi constituency, particularly markets like Lajpat Nagar and further down the Green Park and Hauz Khas markets.
• The construction of the 1,425-metre extension started in June 2020. It was completed at a cost of Rs 128.25 crore.
• The extension allows passengers to bypass three traffic lights between Ashram Chowk and the DND (Delhi Noida Direct) flyway.

Explore in-depth coverage of Lok Sabha Election 2024 Schedule, Voter Turnout, Upcoming Phase And Much More At News18 Website