Sanitation, maintenance of parks and lack of parking facilities were the issues of concern for women who came out to vote in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi election on Sunday.
Over 45 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 4 pm in the high-stakes election. Dr Rehana Parveen, a general physician who arrived at a pink booth on DDU Marg here to cast her vote, flagged the issue of garbage collection from colonies as a major concern.
"Garbage should be collected from colonies even on a holiday or on the day of any festival. At present, garbage is usually seen lying in colonies on the day of any festival. Guests come and it becomes very embarrassing seeing our colony so dirty," she said.
Her daughter, Hadia Fatima, who is a mechanical engineer by profession, said vehicle parking is also a major issue of concern to them. "I have to park my vehicle on the road every day. There is always a fear that my vehicle will be stolen. There are daily fights over the parking issue and a gender bias also exists," she said.
Poonam Tyagi (53), who casted her vote at the MBS International School in Dwarka said, "The main issue is that despite clearance from societies, garbage still piles up at nook and corner of the roads. In almost every common area, you can see garbage pilled. This should be addressed," she said.
Women also rued about the poor upkeep of parks in their area and demanded that the party that comes to power should address the issue. Ved Wadhwa, a 67-year-old voter who cast her ballot at a polling booth in Malviya Nagar, said, "There was a neighbourhood park and we used to go there in winters.
"But for the last few years, the park has been in a bad shape and we have to go to other colonies for a walk. There is a constant tussle over whose the jurisdiction the park as well -- whether it belongs to the MCD or Delhi government."
Voting began for the high-stakes civic polls in Delhi at 8 am on Sunday, which is largely being seen as a three-way contest among the AAP, the BJP and the Congress. Over 1.45 crore electors are eligible to exercise their franchise in the polls to the 250 wards of the MCD, the results of which may have ramifications beyond the national capital.
According to data shared by State Election Commission officials, the total number of voters in Delhi is 1,45,05,358 -- 78,93,418 males, 66,10,879 females and 1,061 transgender persons.
(With PTI Inputs)
