NEW DELHI, February 6: Congress president Sitaram Kesri's unilateral decision to field Indira Gandhi's former aide R.K. Dhawan for the New Delhi seat earned him Sonia Gandhi's wrath. But as the campaign in this elite constituency in the heart of the Capital hots up, 10 Janpath may find its anger cooling. For Dhawan is giving his BJP opponent, ex-Governor Jagmohan, a run for his money.In saffron Delhi, this is no mean task. But Dhawan claims to know the tricks of the trade. ``I spent 20 years with Indiraji,'' he pointed out. ``I know how to manage an election.''
He has certainly swung into action. Congress election offices have sprung up everywhere. His workers are out canvassing door-to-door. Vote-for-Dhawan pamphlets are materialising in letterboxes. What he lacks in charisma and stature, Dhawan is making up by being visible.
But is it enough? Says ex-DUSU president Madan Singh Bisht who is in charge of Dhawan's campaign in the sprawling government colony of Sarojini Nagar, ``The main thing in anelection is organisation. Dhawanji has activated Congress workers. And you will see the difference this time.''
Meticulous work has gone into Dhawan's strategy, making one wonder if an election is ever won on an issue. New Delhi has a shifting population of some 2 lakh government servants. The purpose of the door-to-door campaign is not just to appeal for votes but also to authenticate the voters' lists -- ``so that fake votes are not cast in the name of voters who have shifted out,'' explained a Dhawan aide.
Then, there are around 1 lakh voters in jhuggi (slum) clusters. ``We can't force people in posh colonies like Jorbagh and Defence Colony to vote. But jhuggiwallahs are always eager. They just need someone to take them to the polling station and help them vote. This time, we are going to concentrate on this,'' the aide revealed.
But the politically savvy electorate of 5 lakh odd voters in New Delhi is a cynical lot. They have seen it all. Their MPs have been political stars Atal Behari Vajpayee,L.K. Advani, Sucheta Kripalani, K.C. Pant. And Bollywood stars Rajesh Khanna. And they are no longer starry-eyed.
``They are all the same,'' said Ravinder scathingly. He stabbed viciously at the coat he was cutting in his tailoring shop. ``They show their faces at election time and then we don't see them again. We want an MP who is committed to us.''
The open cynicism of the voters coupled with Dhawan's aggressive campaign has the BJP worried. Jagmohan is clearly on the defensive, fretting about the anti-incumbency factor.
He lists all the good work he has done for the constituency. ``I have spent Rs. 4 crore from my MP constituency fund and got 120 development schemes sanctioned. The people know what I have achieved for them,'' he asserted.Jagmohan's edge is the high degree of political consciousness among the voters. Angry as they may be about purely local matters, they realise that this is a national election, not a municipal poll. And Vajpayee's image dominates, particularly among the upperechelons.
Satinder Kumar conducts a heated discussion on politics almost daily with his tenants in the middle-class locality of Gole Market. So do Sita Ram, a CPWD gardener, and his neighbours in the government quarters of Aliganj.``We need a stable government. We cannot afford elections every two years,'' Satinder Kumar tells his tenants who nod in agreement.
Interestingly, there is sympathy for Sonia Gandhi's efforts on behalf of the Congress. But not many takers. ``She is a gharelu aurat (housewife). What does she know about politics?'' asks Sita Ram.
What about her being a foreigner? The women jumps to her defence. ``She has lived here for 30 years. She's had her children here. How does it matter where she came from?'' says Phoolwati.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
