New Delhi: Patparganj constituency in East Delhi is a mix of the middle and the upper middle class as well as unauthorised colonies, villages and slums. In 2013 the Aam Aadmi Party had swept the seat with its senior leader Manish Sisodia defeating Bharatiya Janata Party's Nakul Bhardwaj and Congress candidate Anil Kumar comfortably.
But 14 months later the scene has changed a lot with the voters of middle and upper middle class residing in apartments no longer with the AAP although the party has maintained its hold on unauthorised colonies, villages and slums.
Sisodia is once again in the field with his broom (AAP's election symbol) facing Anil Kumar of Congress while BJP candidate is Vinod Kumar Binny, who won in 2013 from Laxmi Nagar as AAP candidate but later quit the party after being denied a ministerial berth.
Binny's entry resulted in BJP denying Nakul the ticket this time resulting in some resentment within the party. A BJP source says the party would have won Patparganj if Nakul, who lost in 2008 and 2013, had contested as Binny is seen as an opportunist.
"The AAP will win the seat as Manish Sisodia is known to all. Vinod Binny is not a known face and he will get votes in the name of Narendra Modi and Kiran Bedi," says Brij Kumar Bhardwaj, a resident of Patparganj.
"The AAP is more likely to win from here. Binny 'bhagoda' hai and always change the party," says ML Jha, who runs a small grocery store.
Binny had contested 2013 polls on Aam Aadmi Party ticket on Laxmi Nagar constituency and defeated Congress's AK Walia by 8,000 votes.
Some people are willing to give a second chance to AAP even as the left the government in 49 days in February 2014. "One more chance should be given to AAP. What will PM Modi do alone," says RK Jha.
But riding on the Narendra Modi wave Binny and his supporters are confident of trouncing Sisodia. Although Congress candidate Anil Kumar is campaigning aggressively but is unlikely to be a factor as his party is seen as corrupt and inefficient.
Both Binny and Anil are from Gujjar community which used to own most of the land on which apartments have been constructed. But numerically they are not very strong and out of the over 2 lakh voters, they are around 6000. Even the Gujjar votes are likely to be divided as in the villages family and community ties are very strong and override other considerations.
A Congress bastion since 1998, Patparganj had a large number of people from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttaranchal living in unauthorised colonies and slums which are AAP's stronghold.
Even a senior BJP leader admitted that the party is weak in 11 such areas of the constituency which may cost the party dearly.####
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