New Delhi:
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) are no competition and both the parties will be defeated in the Lok Sabha polls, Congress candidate and ace boxer Vijender Singh said on Friday.
The 33-year-old, who is making his electoral debut as Congress's South Delhi Lok Sabha seat candidate, is pitted against BJP leader and sitting MP Ramesh Bidhuri and AAP's Raghav Chadha.
"The BJP and AAP candidates are no competition for me. I will eliminate BJP from here. I am here to meet and connect with people," Singh said during a footmarch in Delhi's Tigri area.
The ace boxer's footmarch, which lasted for two hours, passed through several residential pockets and slum clusters. He began it by seeking the blessing of the elderly and offering prayers at the Chhattarpur Temple.
"I do not have any false promises to make nor any assurances to give them (people). I will only speak the truth and not deceive them," Singh said.
"Mera dhyaan rakh lijiyega (Please take care of me)," the Congress candidate told people as he visited houses and met them in narrow lanes of slums.
However, some people complained that they did not get a chance to interact with Singh as his supporters were leading him away.
"I had specially come down to meet him but he just crossed without acknowledging me. His supporters were taking him away so quickly," 72-year-old Kesari rued.
But, there were some who managed get selfies clicked with the boxer-turned-politician.
Vishnu Agarwal, a grocery shop owner, said, "He (Singh) came to my shop and urged that we should take care of him during the polls."
In Block H, where most people live in shanties, Singh entered some dwellings and met residents.
In a video shared on Twitter, Singh can be seen pointing to a garbage dump and saying, "This is the condition of Delhi. I am in a roadshow and you can see this."
"The state government has failed," he said.
Singh also stopped a child and asked him whether there is water supply in his house and the child replied in the negative.
Traffic was affected in several parts of the area as the pugilist, accompanied by scores of supporters, walked in the area and greeted the voters.
Vimla Devi said the area has a problem of drainage."In a month, there are 10 days in which we get dirty water. During rains, rainwater seeps into our house. There is a problem of drainage," she said.
Some residents complained of not getting clean drinking water and accused politicians of making false promises.
"Earlier, we had to go to Dakshinpuri, which is 4-5 km away, to fetch water but after (AAP chief) Arvind Kejriwal came to power (became CM), we started getting water in our houses.
"However, there is a problem of getting clean water. We want that whoever comes to power ensures we start getting clean water through the month," Rohan Lodhiwal, a resident, said
Dr Mohammad Yusuf Khan, 70, said most of the politicians who come only make hollow promises which are never fulfilled.
Delhi will go to polls on May 12. The South Delhi constituency, which holds a key place in the power dynamics of the national capital, will see a triangular contest between Singh, incumbent Bidhuri and AAP's Chadha.
