NEW DELHI: Delhi CM, Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday, hinted at the possibility of fielding Durgesh Pathak from Karawal Nagar in the Assembly elections due next year. Kapil Mishra, current MLA from the concerned constituency, is a rebel AAP leader and former Delhi minister. “The shortcomings during Kapil Mishra’s time will be fulfilled by Durgesh,” Kejriwal addressed a gathering of residents of unauthorised colonies.
Pathak, played an important role in the party’s landslide victory in 2015 Assembly elections. He has been active in the constituency for the past couple of days. Delhi is scheduled to go to polls in less than six months, with the current legislative assembly expiring in February 2020.
Kejriwal also hit out on opponent parties, BJP and Congress for playing politics over the issue or regularisation of unauthorised colonies in the national capital. “Why leaders of BJP and Congress did not do it (regularisation of unauthorised colonies) for so many years,” he asked, adding, “We are firm on doing this.”
About the AAP government’s pilgrimage programme, Kejriwal said a couple of more destinations would be added to the list. Earlier this month, a batch of senior citizens, travelled to Vaishno Devi under Delhi government’s sponsorship.
The Delhi government has recently proposed a set of parameters to regularise 1,797 unauthorised colonies, which include charging one per cent cost of land circle rate for up to 200 square metre plot from occupants besides a nominal penalty.
Kejriwal had said that his government was yet to finalise stamp duty to be levied on registry of properties, asserting that the AAP dispensation has accepted all conditions of Centre, and also sent 12 suggestions to it.
About 50 lakh people live in unauthorised colonies across Delhi, which has a total population of nearly 1.2 crore. The decision of regularisation will play a vital role in the run-up to the assembly polls scheduled for early next year.