Unease over Purvanchali representation

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), in its bid to court Delhi's Purvanchali community, which traces its roots to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and numbers around 6 million, has sparked discontent by allotting tickets to only four candidates from the community for the Delhi elections.

- Smriti Kak Ramachandran

NEW DELHI:

Party insiders and community representatives have voiced concerns over the perceived under-representation, as Purvanchalis are considered a decisive voting bloc in the Capital, two party leaders speaking on condition of anonymity said.

"With three candidates from Bihar — Chandan Kumar (Sangam Vihar), Pankaj Singh (Vikaspuri), and Abhay Verma (Laxmi Nagar)—and one from Uttar Pradesh, Bajrang Shukla (Kirari), the representation is far below expectations," one leader said.

Given that Purvanchalis play a crucial role in at least 20 constituencies, including Uttam Nagar, Vikaspuri, Adarsh Nagar, Badarpur, Burari, Karawal Nagar, Kirari, Laxmi Nagar, Krishna Nagar, Shahdara, Seemapuri, Mustafabad, Patparganj, and Rithala, among others, the allocation has left many within the party discontented.