JOIN USAsif Mohammad Khan, Congress candidate from Okhla constituency who won in the last polls, talks to Deccan Herald about how he plans to carry on the fight.
Excerpts:
The Congress is going through rough times. How confident do you feel contesting the elections on a Congress ticket?
I had won the seat even though the Congress was defeated in the Delhi Assembly Elections 2013. I had won the elections in 2009 too on an RJD ticket.
So I am confident of a win. Yes, it is true that the party is not in a good shape. But I have worked in this constituency extensively and people think I am a credible candidate. In fact, last time, I had to work hard to convince the voters. But this time, there is a buzz on how I have performed.
Do you think Krishna Tirath’s joining the BJP will affect the performance of the Congress?
I don’t think there is any connection between Congress performance and Tirath’s leaving the party. If she was such a big leader, why couldn’t she pull off votes for the party in the last election?
Do you think you will bag a considerable number of votes in your constituency due to polarisation of votes with Okhla constituency having a sizeable Muslim population?
I am confident of bagging votes from across communities. The vote percentage will definitely vary from one community to the other.
What are the major issues in your constituency?
Good quality drinking water is first on the priority list. There are various areas in the constituency in which residents still have to do with low quality drinking water.
Water supply is also a major issue. Also, there is a shortage of schools and hospitals in Sarita Vihar. There is little land available to build schools.
Besides, we also need more dispensaries in the constituency. I have effectively solved the sewage problem in most of the areas here.
What will be your campaigning strategy?
I will mostly engage with the voters through padyatras. Door-to-door campaigning, I believe, does not work well. This is because it is difficult to convince voters individually. Also, with little time in hand, you cannot cover all areas by going to flats individually.
Will your family members be also involved in campaigning?
Not at all. I prefer to go alone.