New Delhi:
Delhi Assembly Elections: In the crowd of Matia Mahal area of Chandni Chowk, the old and historical heritage which is associated with Matia Mahal is lost somewhere. It is said that Shahjahan used to live in Matiya Mahal. At that time the Red Fort was still being built. But now it is a dense residential area which starts right in front of Jama Masjid. Matiya Mahal is a seat politically dominated by Shoaib Iqbal of Aam Aadmi Party. His influence is such that both Congress and BJP could never win this seat.
Shoaib Iqbal has been MLA six times except in 2015 and this time he has given ticket to his son Aale Iqbal. Aale Iqbal is contesting against Congress’s Asim Ahmed Khan who had defeated Shoaib in 2015.
Matiya Mahal is a big business area. Commercial areas like Ajmeri Gate, Lal Kuan, Jama Masjid, Minto Road, DDU Marg, Tagore Marg, Sitaram Bazaar and Chawri Bazaar fall in this assembly constituency. Here buyers from all over the country come and buy goods in bulk and supply them to the states. When you enter the dense settlements of Matia Mahal, you can see the problem of electricity, water and sewerage. In Matiya Mahal itself we saw such a dense settlement where not even a ray of sunlight could reach.
This is such a dense settlement where you cannot imagine life. Sunlight and clean air do not reach here. People are crammed like animals into a 5 feet room. Toilets are also not available.
But the biggest problem in Matia Mahal assembly is jam. People living in dense settlements are troubled by severe traffic jams and overcrowding. Parking remains the biggest problem here. There is a traffic jam in the area more or less every day. People park their cars at a distance and return by battery rickshaw. Traders who shop here also have to face similar traffic jams every day.
There are 60 percent Muslim voters in Seelampur assembly constituency of Delhi. After Seelampur, Matia Mahal is the second largest Muslim dominated assembly constituency. Here one can see an old Delhi which is adjusting to the new times in its own way.
(Report by Shadab Siddiqui from Matia Mahal assembly constituency)