The Malviya Nagar seat, which came into existence after delimitation in the 2008 assembly elections, has been under the control of the BJP for 15 years. However, the way Congress was defeated with a significant margin of 1704 votes in 2018, indicates that this time the BJP will have to work hard to retain its stronghold. The current MLA, BJP’s Kali Charan Saraf, is facing dissatisfaction among the people. Saraf is again the BJP’s candidate this time. Although Congress is also grappling with internal conflicts, Congress candidate Archana Sharma seems confident of winning for the first time. Archana has been active in the area for 5 years, and it is benefiting her.
Public troubled by thugs:
This area, thriving with affluent residential colonies in the name of Madan Mohan Malviya, is troubled by thieves. They clean their hands on vehicles every day. Due to the influence of drunkards at night, people’s sleep is disturbed. Bars and pubs in the area remain open until late at night. It is common to hear news of disturbances due to them. People are not happy with the police arrangement. The public is eager to express their dissatisfaction through voting.
Slum stains on Malviya Nagar seat:
The slum settlement under the Malviya Nagar seat is a stain on this posh area. Situated close to the bypass, this slum thrives on the politics of votes by political parties. Many streets in this settlement are so narrow that four-wheeled vehicles cannot enter. This place is very useful for individuals of the criminal type. Such settlements are seen as a crop of votes for parties like Congress and BJP. Political parties are very active in trying to harvest this crop of votes. Every politician is roaming around with a bag of promises to harvest votes. It is true that slum votes always play a decisive role, and they will do so again this time.
Cracks in Congress camp:
Archana Sharma, the chairperson of the Social Welfare Board, has been made the Congress candidate in the 2023 elections. Rajiv Arora, the chairman of the Rajasthan Small Industries Corporation Limited, is unhappy with Congress for giving a ticket to Archana Sharma. Mahesh Sharma, the chairman of the Vipra Kalyan Board, is also unhappy with Congress’s high command decision. Both were aspiring for a ticket from here. Before the ticket was given to Archana Sharma, there was a heated exchange of accusations and counter-accusations between Arora and her. Archana had accused Arora of colluding with BJP’s Kali Charan Saraf. There are internal rifts in Congress that can impact the election results.
BJP’s stronghold:
In the first election (2008) for the Malviya Nagar assembly seat, BJP’s Kali Charan Saraf defeated Congress candidate Rajiv Arora by 17,558 votes. In 2013, the BJP again gave a ticket to Kali Charan Saraf. Congress fielded Archana Sharma against him. Saraf defeated Archana by a substantial margin of 48,718 votes, writing the story of turning this seat into a BJP stronghold. BJP challenged Saraf in 2018 as well. He faced Congress’s Archana Sharma again. In a tough competition, Saraf managed to save his seat with just 1704 votes. Now, in the 2023 elections, there is once again a contest between these two rivals. Congress hopes that Archana Sharma will overthrow the BJP stronghold this time. On the other hand, Kali Charan Saraf is confident of his victory. The direction of the election results will be known on December 3rd.
Voter count:
Total voters 2,16,873
Male 1,11,125
Female 1,05,748