BJP or INDIA – Who Stands Better Chance With Delhi's Auto Drivers This LS Polls?

The city's auto-rickshaw drivers are promoting schemes by parties, but what do they really feel about them?

In the bustling lanes of Delhi, where the scorching heat mingles with the relentless activity of the city, political banners and party flags signal the upcoming Phase 6 of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. 

Weeks before the clamour of political rallies that have now taken over the news cycle, the first signs of election campaigns in the capital became common sightings of posters promoting government schemes with larger-than-life profiles of the politicians beside them – on auto-rickshaws.

These advertisements in transit navigate the city's crowded streets, spreading awareness about initiatives taken by each political front. 

However, the auto drivers themselves present a mixed picture about the schemes they promote on their vehicles.

Some express optimism, noting how certain schemes have tangibly benefited their daily lives, providing them with financial support, healthcare, or education for their children. Others remain skeptical, saying that while the schemes may paint a rosy picture, the impact on their own circumstances has been minimal. Some even shrugged off our questions with indifference.

Such is the contrast in perspectives among the drivers that it highlights the complex relationship between government efforts and the everyday realities of those tasked with promoting them.

Affordable Healthcare or Not?

"My wife has a sugar problem and regularly requires medicines. Because of the janaushadhi scheme, life has become much easier for us," 42-year-old Manoj Kumar beamed on being asked about the scheme's advertisement on the back of his auto-rickshaw.

Launched in 2008 during the Manmohan Singh-led UPA-II government, the Pradhan Mantri Bharatiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) scheme was relaunched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2015 to provide generic medicines at affordable prices in dedicated centres.

"Although the medicines are generic in nature, they come at a highly subsidised rate, say 50-60 percent ... the concession varies," said Kumar, who has been driving an auto-rickshaw in Delhi for the last 16 years. 

"Let's say I get medicines worth Rs 180 from outside. The same I can get for just Rs 55. The scheme is that effective," he added. 

As per the ministry's official website, 10,607 centres or janaushadhi kendras are currently functional across India. Additionally, the PMBJP scheme is an umbrella provider of about 1,965 drugs and 293 surgical items.

However, another auto-rickshaw driver, 55-year-old Jagdeep Singh, had a different story to tell.

"I bought Vitamin D tablets for my wife for Rs 250 from a janaushadhi kendra. The original price was Rs 450. However, I later discovered the pack had less than half the tablets it should have had," said Singh. 

Singh is optimistic of a wave of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) rolling over Delhi again.

"Our colony in Burari didn't even have roads 15 years ago, not even a footpath. Now, because of the AAP's work, it is as good as any residential locality of South Delhi."

Jagdeep Singh

Meanwhile, 53-year-old Sujeet Gupta, who has been staying in the national capital for the last 45 years, is keen to vote for the INDIA bloc.

Praising the work done by the Kejriwal-led Delhi government in the last 10 years, he tells The Quint, "Mohalla clinics is one such programme that has turned out to be a blessing. I regularly avail free medical checkups and medicines for my family." 

The Delhi government's flagship healthcare program, Mohalla Clinics, was launched in July 2015, with an initial promise of one affordable clinic in every locality. As of 23 August 2023, 533 clinics have been set up. According to their official site, there is one Mohalla Clinic for every 60,000 people.  

'No Development in Delhi'

A poster of the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) infrastructure megaproject project can be found on the hood of 48-year-old Durganand's auto-rickshaw.

Flaunting the smiling faces of PM Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, it promotes their "double engine sarkaar" – and specifically advertises Ayodhya's Ram Mandir and eight key infrastructure projects worth around Rs 31,000 crore across seven states.

"In the last 10 years, there has been rampant development in North India except for Delhi. This is because the AAP government is incompetent." 

Durganand

Originally from Bihar, Durganand has been living in Delhi since 1982. "At this point, it doesn't matter which state government is voted to power. All the development that has happened was under the central government," he added.

Meanwhile, 40-year-old Anil Kumar proudly proclaimed to The Quint, "Both my children are studying in a government school, and I couldn't be happier." 

The AAP government's education budget surged from Rs 6,554.82 crore in 2014-15 to Rs 16,574.62 crore in 2023-24, constituting 21.03 percent of the total budget.

Fifteen new government schools opened in 2023-24, as per the 2023-24 Economic Survey of Delhi.

Kumar, who has been living in Dabri, Dwarka, for over 15 years now, further said, "The 200 units electricity subsidy scheme has been a boon for the city's middle-class people, too. Now that the summer season is at its peak, we can use fans without worrying about the bill." 

Under this electricity subsidy scheme, the state government provides free electricity to households that consume below 200 units, and a 50 percent subsidy to households that use only 201-400 units a month. In the 2023-24 budget, the government set aside Rs 3,250 crore for the power subsidy and granted an additional Rs 100 crore in the revised estimates, taking the total allocation to Rs 3,350 crore.  

No Trust in the Electoral Process?

On 15 May, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal led a unique roadshow in North Delhi's Model Town, which marked the first instance of an AAP leader campaigning in a constituency where their alliance partner, Congress, has fielded a candidate.

Joined by party members and media, Kejriwal endorsed Congress leader Jai Prakash Agarwal, representing the INDIA bloc alliance in Chandni Chowk. Agarwal, a seasoned politician, aims to reclaim his former seat against the BJP's Praveen Khandelwal. 

As the rally passed by, a rickshaw covered from hood to wheels with life-size posters of JP Agarwal along with Kejriwal and Rahul Gandhi, stood out. If these hoardings failed to make it clear, Kejriwal himself reiterated to vote for the 'panja' (hand) symbol on 25 May. 

Paradoxically, a young driver behind the steering wheel, Satyendra Baghel, 20, announced that he is not going to vote. A native of district Kasganj, Uttar Pradesh, Baghel did not apply for his voter ID, and is not a part of this election's electoral roll. 

He confessed to having no interest in the voting process. However, he added that he found no loophole in the working of the current AAP government.  

Yet for some, voting is a sacred democratic right, a lifeline for their very existence. 

Shashikant Pandey, 52, is one of them. 

"I have a private connection here in Delhi. But my sister received a gas cylinder under the Ujjwala Yojana scheme in Allahabad. She used to cook on a mitti chulha. The scheme has been beneficial as for a gas cylinder we get at Rs 1,000, my sister can avail one at just Rs 400-Rs 450 under the scheme," Pandey replied. 

The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY), launched in May 2016, provides LPG cylinders to deprived households. The scheme was relaunched as Ujjwala 2.0 in August 2019 under which an additional allocation of 1.6 crore LPG connections was made under PMUY scheme with a special emphasis on migrant households. By 9 May 2024, the original scheme had 10.3 crore LPG connections, as per official figures. 

Commenting on the current political scenarios, Pandey said that he has no expectations from the AAP government, despite being a staunch believer once.

"Our community of auto drivers supported Kejriwal back then because of Anna Hazare, but now the AAP is entangled in a mesh of controversies and scams," he added.  

On 25 May, Delhi will see a record 15.2 million eligible voters exercise their franchise.