NEW DELHI: BJP candidate Praveen Khandelwal says he is confident of winning the seat.
Chandni Chowk in Old Delhi is one of the most populous and oldest Lok Sabha constituencies in Delhi. Many prominent leaders have won from here, including Kapil Sibal, Vijay Goel, and Dr. Harsh Vardhan. This time the BJP has fielded Praveen Khandelwal from Chandni Chowk in place of incumbent Harsh Vardhan, while the Congress has repeated Jai Prakash Agarwal as the joint Congress-AAP candidate. In 2019, Harsh Vardhan received 519,055 votes, Agarwal 290,910 votes, while AAP candidate Pankaj Kumar Gupta received 144,551 votes. So, even if Agarwal’s and Gupta’s votes are added together, Harsh Vardhan had a lead of around 84,000 votes. Originally a Congress bastion, Harsh Vardhan won this seat in both 2014 and 2019.
Chandni Chowk comprises 10 Assembly segments, including Adarsh Nagar, Shalimar Bagh, Shakur Basti, Tri Nagar, Wazirpur, Model Town, Sadar Bazar, Chandni Chowk, Matia Mahal, and Ballimaran. There is a Muslim domination in the seats of Chandni Chowk, Ballimaran, and Matia Mahal. On the whole, the seat has 20.34% Muslim voters; 21.14% are Scheduled Caste voters; 2.26% are Sikhs; and 1.24% are Jains. The rest are general and other castes.
The Chandni Chowk seat has a large concentration of traders, whose support, Praveen Khandelwal, as the secretary of the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) hopes to get. Sanjay Bhargav, president of Chandni Chowk Sarv Vyapar Mandal, said the constituency faces development issues: “Chandni Chowk needs to be redeveloped, and we hope that Praveen Khandelwal will do that.” He added that their association is extending its support to Praveen Khandelwal. Vinay Narang, president of the Auto Parts Merchant Association too told The Sunday Guardian that “We extend our support to Praveen Khandelwal, as he is one of us. We hope that he will raise our issues in Parliament.”
While issues like traffic congestion, encroachment, drinking water, cleanliness, waterlogging are there in the constituency, some voters like Harpreet Singh say that “in general elections, we vote on national issues, and I believe Modiji is the best Prime Minister our country has ever had. So I will again vote for him.” Arun Kumar, a voter in Shalimar Bagh said that despite some issues, the constituency has done well in the last 10 years under BJP rule, “and we hope it will continue to do the same”. Faiz Alam, a local vendor, told The Sunday Guardian that “For many years I have seen the same issues of waterlogging in the constituency. Last year, the area near Lal Quila was submerged in water, and due to this, we had to suffer a lot, but I hope this time it will be resolved.”
BJP candidate Praveen Khandelwal says he is confident of winning the seat. While talking to The Sunday Guardian he said, “I have been a trader all my life. I know their hardships and the problems they face. For decades, I have worked to ensure that their voice is heard. I promise every small, medium, and large retailer or trader in my constituency that I will completely end the inspector raj within one year of my election.” Further, he said, “I am getting equal support from all the communities in the constituency, and I will work for them in every possible manner I can. I am glad that our honorable Prime Minister has given me the opportunity to serve my people.”