THOUGH Delhi people are still fine with metropolitan identity, not cosmopolitan and identified mainly by North Indians, Poorvanchali, Jat, Gurjar, Brahmin and Punjabi from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan, the socio-political profile of Delhi and corresponding aspirations are changing. With a sharp rise of 22 per cent decadal growth rate, the socio-political profile of Delhi is changing fast. Estimated figures say that 200,000 to 300,000 people a year settle in Delhi permanently from other states in India as migrants. These people come in search of employment and education opportunities and become the permanent resident of Delhi. A large portion of New Delhi’s population is formed by this section of migrants coming from other states. Problems of basic infrastructure like roads, sanitation and water still remain the same, but educational and employability perceptions are changing. In 2013, MCD election and Delhi University Student Union election have also shown the characteristics of region, caste and belongingness of state identity but at the same time aspiring for clean, credible and common man’s leadership.
There are 70 Assembly constituencies and now more than one crore twenty lakh voters in 11,763 polling booths. More than 16 lakh voters were added from 2008 to 2013. In this changed demography coupled with some homogenous issues in distinct parts of Delhi, class has really become a factor because all slum people are facing the same civic problems which are different from the problems of posh areas. Therefore, poor class of Trans-Yamuna may have different voting pattern from affluent class of Greater Kailash. If Dr Sanjay Kumar from CSDS to be believed, Delhi voters can be classified under three broad economic categories—the upper class, the middle class and the lower class. He writes, all voters belonging to one economic class do not necessarily vote for one particular party, but a broad trend can clearly be traced.
As the NCT, Delhi comprises 27 tehsils, 9 districts, 62 census towns, 165 villages and 3 statutory towns as New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and Delhi Cantonment Board (DCB). This complex power centre of India is keeping everyone guessing when it comes to the assembly elections. The old caste structures are crumbling and new are emerging.
Added Youth Power
Another important factor that is added to the Delhi’s power game is the Youth Power. There are 3,49,000 newly registered voters in the age group of 18 to 22. Some of them certainly were with Anna movement on anti-corruption plank but when it comes to national level leadership they are pitching for Narendra Modi.
