NEW DELHI: Education and health infrastructure development, cleanliness and better public facilities —- are among the issues voted for by voters in the national capital on Sunday in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) elections.
The poll began at 8 a.m. and will run until 5:30 p.m. The votes will be counted on December 7.
More than 1.45 crore voters are eligible to exercise their right to vote in the elections for MCD’s 250 wards, the results of which could have repercussions beyond the national capital.
Manoj Gupta, resident of Lajpat Nagar said, “When I came to cast my vote, I came with a clear mind and that was to vote for the development of our area and improve the education system here.
Aarti Kohli, 47, said she hopes whoever takes power in MCD will work for cleanliness issues.
“MCD elections are important because they are fought based on local issues and for me cleanliness is the most important factor. If our areas are not clean it can lead to diseases like malaria and dengue and other problems as well,” she said.
Seventy nine year old Prithviraj who claims never to have missed an election be it MCD, Lok Sabha or Assembly elections said MCD polls could be local election but we who are based in a place, should think for our area and vote accordingly.
“My vote was for the preservation, health and improvement of school education for children, because they are ultimately our future leaders who need to be aware of what is going on in their country,” he said after casting his vote at the polling booth in Krishna Nagar. .
Kanhaiya Lal, who had come to vote for the DDU Marg Pink Booth, said, “We want development for schools, hospitals and other MCD related facilities. The party that can give us these things deserves to come to power.”
Kamal Kishore, a 45-year-old resident of Mata Sundari Road, claimed that the condition of MCD schools and hospitals is really in a bad state.
“We want their condition to improve and children who study there to have better facilities. Economic status should not be an obstacle to that. That is the issue I voted for.”
Rajkumari, said education was the main issue, they cast their vote and whoever comes to power should ensure that children get the best education.
“The task of MCD is to keep the streets and roads clean. Attention must be paid to cleanliness and hygiene.”
The MCD election is largely viewed as a three-way contest between the AAP, the BJP and Congress. Both the AAP and BJP have expressed confidence that they will emerge victorious from the polls as the Congress tries to regain lost ground.
These are the first civil elections after the new demarcation exercise, and the poll is being conducted days after the first phase of the Gujarat parliamentary elections, and a day before the second phase.
Raminder Singh, 48, who was distressed by the state of his place in Lajpat Nagar, said that this time he had brought not only him but also neighbors to vote.
“Nothing has been done about cleanliness in recent years and the roads are in abysmal condition. Our audience is taken for granted. They come to ask for votes, but after we are elected, all we get is uncleanness and pathetic roads,” he said.
