Ahead Of Civic Polls, Congress Vows To Restore Chhath Ghats For Purvanchalis

In a bid to woo Purvanchali voters, the Congress' Delhi unit has promised to restore Chhat ghats on the banks of the Yamuna and provide other facilities for them to hold their festival without hurdles.

The Congress' Delhi unit chief Anil Chaudhary alleged that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had "betrayed" the Purvanchalis living in the national capital with false promises and prevented them from holding their most auspicious festival.

He claimed that the Congress government in Delhi under Sheila Dikshit had set up the Chhat ghats for Purvanchalis and also established Mythili and Bhojpuri academies.

"The Kejriwal government failed to check rising air and water pollution for the past eight years despite selling the rosy dream of making Delhi like London, Paris and Singapore. The Yamuna water is toxic and highly contaminated, causing severe health problems to Delhiites, particularly the children and the elderly," he said.

The BJP, AAP and the Congress are all making efforts to woo Purvanchalis, who make up one of the largest vote banks in Delhi, as campaigning for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) polls intensifies.

According to an estimate, Purvanchalis -- the Bhojpuri-speaking natives of eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand settled in Delhi -- make up around a third of the national capital's total 1.46 crore voters.

The BJP and the AAP have each fielded around 50 candidates from Purvanchali backgrounds. The community is estimated to have a significant presence in all Assembly segments of Delhi.

Elections to the 250-ward MCD are scheduled for December 4.