In Delhi’s Rajouri Garden, No Party Has Won Consecutive Polls. Can AAP Buck The Trend?

Last Updated:January 30, 2025, 13:08 IST

BJP has fielded Sikh face Manjinder Singh Sirsa from the seat to encash his familiarity and face value versus AAP’s Dhanwati Chandela

AAP's Dhanwanti Chandela during campaigning for the Delhi elections. (News18)

In West Delhi lies a seat that no political party has been able to win consecutively since 2008 — whether it was during Sheila Dikshit’s tenure or that of Arvind Kejriwal. This tradition has made the BJP extremely hopeful that it is their turn to clinch Rajouri Garden, given that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) won the seat last time.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded an old horse — Sikh face Manjinder Singh Sirsa who has won both as Shiromani Akali Dal leader and later as BJP leader from this seat — to encash his familiarity and face value. Can AAP’s Dhanwati Chandela buck the trend?

UNDERSTANDING RAJOURI GARDEN

Rajouri Garden is a vast area that in a way showcases a mini India. Near the metro station, it has a market beyond which there are three glitzy malls. In the evening, neon lights attract consumers, while the residential blocks have spacious houses with wide roads and parks. Then, there are middle-income areas like Subhash Nagar or Vishnu Nagar where sewage blockage is a recurrent complaint and roads suddenly give way to serpentine by-lanes. Finally, there are slums like Harijan Colony or Chokhandi, where facilities are bare minimum.

Just 100 meters away from Rajouri Garden metro station, behind BJP’s election office in the upmarket area of the constituency, News18 caught up with Brijesh Tiwari who hails from Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur but owns a shop in the area. A die-hard fan of BJP who has adorned his shop with the party’s campaign paraphernalia, Tiwari is sure the “BJP will sweep Rajouri Garden this time".

Asked about the area’s problems, he cited the condition of roads and lack of cleanliness. A frustrated Tiwari lamented, “There are a number of slums and they will end up voting for AAP for freebies. You can’t stop them. But rest will vote for BJP."

MIGRANTS & SLUMS

The BJP enjoys an unprecedented sway among lower middle-class colonies like Subhash Nagar, with a section of them comprising migrants from Uttar Pradesh. Satpal from UP’s Kasganj, who works as a scrap dealer in Rajouri Garden, has his voter card registered in the Capital. “The atmosphere is for change. AAP was given a chance. They could not solve the problems of Rajouri Garden. Now, it’s time for BJP," he said.

There are four slums in Rajouri Garden — Chokhandi and Khayala among others. Balbir and his neighbours say they will vote for AAP’s Chandela because their major concerns — water, electricity, and education — are taken care of. However, another local Anita adds, “Some are exploring other options as well".

On the way back to the main street of Subhash Nagar, News18 met Asish, a mechanic. “The fight is between two lions. One has to go down. My sense tells me that AAP has a 60 per cent winning chance as opposed to BJP. But who cares? Whoever wins, I will have to mend bikes even after February 8," he quips.

THE SEAT: WINS, LOSS & CASTE

In 2013, when AAP came into being and surprised everyone, Sirsa won the Rajouri Garden seat as a Shiromani Akali Dal leader. In 2015, AAP tasted victory for the first time when Jarnail Singh — who threw a shoe at former Union home minister Chidambaram — won the seat. However, he resigned, necessitating a bypoll. Sirsa was fielded again in 2017, but this time as a BJP candidate. Though he won, in 2020, staying true to the tradition of the seat, AAP’s Dhanwati Chandela clawed back with a handsome 22,972 votes.

But 2025 is not 2020. One, the trend of the seat; two, anti-incumbency; and three, the taint against AAP’s top leadership that Chandela has to bear.

An estimated 30 per cent Punjabi Sikh population can be decisive in this seat where Sirsa may play a crucial role for the BJP. However, less than a year ago during Lok Sabha polls, AAP was ahead in this seat.

An excited Chandela says: “Delhiites have once again proven that a government will come to power in Delhi which will take forward health, education and employment and the pace of development will be even faster". But not everyone seems to agree.

“A few days ago, I was doing door-to-door campaigning. I encountered garbage piled up as high as one’s waist. When I asked locals around, they told me MLA Chandela refused to make the road. This is Kejriwal making Delhi as luxurious as London," Sirsa said, asking whether voters would still prefer to vote for the former CM.

Surprisingly, no one seemed to even know the name of the Congress candidate, let alone consider him as a viable option. News18 could not find any poster of Congress candidate Dharmpal Chandela in the area. For context, the Congress candidate in 2020, Amandeep Singh Sudan, received just 3,398 votes — much less than what the independent of that year received.

News elections In Delhi’s Rajouri Garden, No Party Has Won Consecutive Polls. Can AAP Buck The Trend?