Sushil Kumar Modi campaigns in New Delhi’s Badli constituency on Friday. Picture by Ramakant Kushwaha

New Delhi, Nov. 29: Bihar and Purvanchal voters, while voting for the Delhi Assembly elections on December 4, will have respect and recognition on their minds apart from issues of civic facilities, infrastructure, price rise and corruption.

People from the region, who have often felt humiliated and betrayed for being treated as unwanted and pariah in the city are marvelling in being the newfound attention of the political parties. The underlying reason is their sizeable presence makes them hard to be ignored.

BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi and state BJP president Mangal Pandey addressed six meetings in Delhi in favour of BJP candidates of the Assembly polls. They warned voters that Aam Adami Party and JD(U) candidates were being fielded by the Congress to cut into the BJP votes. Modi alleged that the Congress had selected the JD(U) candidates in Delhi. The BJP leaders addressed public meetings in Adarsh Nagar, Buradi, Kiradi, Badli, Karawalnagar and Ghoda. These places have significant population of Bihari migrants.

“Purvanchalis and especially Biharis are a dominant force in Delhi now and hence, their political significance has also risen. For them, the identity of the state is bigger than caste and community and they want development and better living facilities. We are, therefore, reaching out to them and trying to tell them how the Congress has failed them and the BJP is only alternative,” said Sushil Kumar Modi who is spearheading state unit’s campaign.

There are over 30 lakh voters from Bihar and eastern UP region in Delhi of the 1.15-crore electorate. Their numbers are as high as 35-40 per cent in over 30 of Delhi’s total 70 Assembly constituencies, implying the decisive role they would play in these localities.

In Deoli constituency of south Delhi for example, this percentage stands at a staggering 48, while Dwarka, Palam, Badli, Kirari, Buarai, Karawal Nagar, Laxmi Nagar, Ghonda, Mangolpuri and Badarpur among others have very high concentration of these voters.

No wonder that none of the parties can now afford to downplay their significance in Delhi’s political arena. While BJP has given tickets to five candidates of Purvanchali origin, Congress has fielded three candidates hailing from the region. Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party, which has taken Delhi by storm, claims to have outdone both the BJP and the Congress by fielding eight contestants from seats with high Purvanchali voters.

Voters are upbeat that they are being taken seriously this time round. “I am staying in Delhi for almost 20 years but have never seen such focus on Bihari voters. Leaders from various parties come asking for us and try to find out what our issues are. We tell them that we want good quality of life, better amenities and some respect. We strive for recognition and good treatment,” said Gyan Sharma, a software engineer, who lives in Laxmi Nagar.