Last October’s communal riots in Trilokpuri might have altered the East Delhi resettlement colony, but the local administration is hoping to use the upcoming elections to move past the violence.
Special voter awareness programmes with the message of communal harmony are being planned by the East Delhi district authorities. According to officials, there are undercurrents of communal tension in Trilokpuri.
The Trilokpuri Assembly constituency is reserved for Scheduled Caste candidates. The fear of polarisation between the majority Valmiki population and the minority Muslim community after the riots has led officials to tweak the usual pre-election programme. East Delhi District Magistrate and District Electoral Officer Kunal said the Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) activities would be tailored for Trilokpuri to include poetry recitals ( mushairas ) and street plays.
“We are in the process of organising mushairas and nukkad nataks with the theme of unity and patriotism. We want to use the elections through our SVEEP activities to foster communal harmony in Trilokpuri,” said the DEO.
He said the Aman Committee set up by the police and locals would also be involved in community outreach programmes before the elections. In addition, the district authorities are working with RWAs, Gender Resource Centres (GRCs), Nehru Yuva Kendras, and civil defence volunteers to encourage East Delhi residents to cast their votes on February 7.
