THE BATTLE FOR DELHI: IT'S SUVIDHA vs VIKAS

The stakes are high for all parties but it is a matter of survival for the ruling AAP

- Ruhi Tewari

The main road of Karawal Nagar, in the northeast part of the national capital, albeit wide, is congested, crowded and chaotic. Lined with kiosks, paan stalls and thelas (carts) on both sides, and a row of bylanes that lead into housing colonies, the area is a marriage of the commercial and residential.

Amid the cacophony and disarray, Jalvaid Yadav is standing next to his fruit cart, keenly watching each passerby, hoping to attract customers. In his early sixties, Yadav wants the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to return to power when Delhi votes on 5 February.

His reason? Former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's "pro-poor emphasis."

"We want a government that is pro-poor. Kejriwal has done good work in Delhi. He has given us free water, free electricity, improved education and healthcare, started Mohalla Clinics (centres that offer essential medicines and tests in several Delhi neighbourhoods) and given women free public transport. He thinks of the poor," Yadav says.

"There should be someone other than the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in power in Delhi. If the same party is in power everywhere, they will do whatever they want. In Delhi, we want Kejriwal; in the Centre, we want Modi," he adds.

On the opposite side of the road, S.K. Pandey, a professor in a Delhi University College, and his friend, S.P. Verma, now retired, enjoy the winter sun as they chat sitting outside their colony. Behind them flows a big open drain, casually throwing up a sulphurous whiff every few seconds. The residential colonies seem dilapidated and uncared for, with huge dumps of garbage and open manholes adorning them. Pandey and Verma want the BJP in power.

Their reason? Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vikas (development) focus.