What do Delhi’s youngest and oldest poll candidates want for their city

“My issues are genuine and I anticipation to win…,” Bhawana tells The Indian Express. For Chand, property is conscionable a number. “What if I americium old? People respect maine a lot. They emotion maine and I cognize they volition ballot for maine for change.”

According to the Election Commission’s guidelines, the minimum property for contesting elections is 25.

Bhawana, a nonmigratory of Nand Nagri successful Northeast Delhi, is 1 of 4 candidates aged 25 contesting the elections successful Delhi. She is up against high-profile candidates successful a high-profile spot — AAP nationalist convenor Arvind Kejriwal, erstwhile BJP MP Parvesh Verma and Congress’ Sandeep Dikshit.

The constituency has a full of 1,08,574 voters — 58,381 are male, 50,192 are pistillate and determination is 1 transgender person.

Bhawana’s father, Devender, is arsenic a wage labourer. The household lives successful a one-room house, paying a rent of Rs 8,000 per month. She is the eldest of her 2 siblings — a 23-year-old sister and a 21-year-old brother.

After completing BCom   from Delhi University’s School of Open Learning, she helped retired her begetter financially by doing part-time jobs. “The thought of contesting elections came to my caput aft I mislaid my occupation past year, says Bhawana. “I was employed arsenic an subordinate head astatine a bank. After moving determination for a fewer months, they asked maine to permission without providing a valid reason. I protested a lot, but it was to nary avail. After facing this setback and seeing the information of my family, I decided to contest.”

“I’ve borrowed Rs 10,000 from my relatives to contention the election. With the assistance of my brother, I designed the pamphlet connected my mobile telephone and published it successful sets of 50 oregon 100 from a abstracted printing property to prevention money,” she says.

What are the issues she’s focusing on? She says it’s connected “issues related to our youth”. “I privation to extremity the signifier of contractual jobs, supply escaped aesculapian and healthcare facilities, and connection escaped education,” she adds.

On wherefore she decided to situation the stalwarts successful the New Delhi constituency, she says that since it is simply a “hot seat”, radical mightiness perceive to her more. “I don’t person a conveyance truthful I’ll beryllium focusing connected door-to-door campaigning.”

Chand, meanwhile, is nary alien to elections — this is the 3rd clip he’s contesting. “I person been associated with the CPI(M) since 1979. The enactment has provided maine with logistical enactment to contention the election,” helium says.

Lying vacant aft its erstwhile legislator, Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, was elected arsenic the South Delhi BJP MP past year, Badarpur has an electorate of 3,64,721 voters including 2,03,185 male, 1,61,484 pistillate and 52 transgender voters.

The AAP has fielded Ram Singh Netaji, the BJP has fixed a summons to Narayan Dutt Sharma and the Congress to Arjun Bhadana from the seat.

Chand flags respective problems successful the constituency. Listing them out, helium says, “Water is being contaminated owed to respective amerciable jeans factories that usage chemicals. There’s petty crime, onshore grabbing, corruption, and nary due sewage system.”

While campaigning doorway to door, Chand promises the radical that helium volition marque Badarpur escaped from amerciable jeans factories, physique a assemblage and a hospital, rise the tallness of high-tension wires, and reclaim authorities onshore from the possession of the onshore mafia.

Chand, who retired from the NTPC arsenic a supervisor, lives with his woman and 2 sons, who are successful the spot concern successful Meethapur village, Badarpur.

In 2012, helium contested the MCD polls from Meethapur ward but mislaid by a borderline of conscionable 41 votes. In the 2020 Assembly polls, helium had contested from Badarpur and finished fourth.

“Jeet haar to chalti rahegi, lekin hame bharosa hai ek din yahan ke logon ka bhala hoga. (Winning oregon losing volition continue, but I spot that 1 day, radical of this country volition person a amended life),” helium says.