Manoj Tiwari, the only incumbent contesting the general election in Delhi, is hoping to score a hat-trick and be elected to the Lok Sabha this year again. A man who wears many hats, including that of singer, actor and politician, the BJP leader says he has done enough in his previous two terms as MP to win by a comfortable margin.
Mr. Tiwari maintains that the “Modi wave” is powering another victory for the BJP at the Centre. Proud that the Prime Minister held his first rally in the Capital in his constituency of North East Delhi on May 18, he says, “It is a bigger responsibility to be nominated for the third time, but I am ready to fulfil my duty.”
Also read: Delhi Lok Sabha Election 2024 LIVE, May 25, 2024
Playing to the vote bank
Mr. Tiwari’s Purvanchali identity is perhaps a big factor behind his renomination from North East Delhi, which is home to a high number of migrants from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Known to appeal to voters’ sentiments on the campaign trail by singing Bhojpuri songs, the BJP leader’s vote share has only climbed in the previous two times he has contested from the seat.
In 2021, he grabbed headlines for defying the Delhi Disaster Management Authority order prohibiting Chhat Puja celebrations on the banks of the Yamuna by offering prayers on the riverbank at Sonia Vihar. Insisting on celebrating the Purvanchali festival, he asked the authorities to clean the Yamuna instead of banning festivities.
His “superstar” status has also bolstered his spot on the BJP’s star campaigner list across northern India, with the leader holding multiple rallies in U.P., Bihar, Uttarakhand, Assam, West Bengal, and Maharashtra ahead of the election.
Political rise
Born in Atarwalia, a small village in Bihar bordering Uttar Pradesh, the 53-year-old entered politics in 2009 after enjoying a decade-long career in acting and singing, with over 4,000 Bhojpuri and Hindi songs and 75 Bhojpuri films under his belt. After contesting from Gorakhpur on a Samajwadi Party ticket and losing to the now-U.P. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Mr. Tiwari switched over to the BJP, where he was nominated and elected to Parliament from North East Delhi in the 2014 and 2019 general elections. He also enjoyed a stint as the Delhi BJP president from 2015 to 2020.
In 2019, he went head-to-head with senior Congress leader and former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dixit, and defeated her with a margin of over 3.6 lakh votes. But Mr. Tiwari said he paid her a visit after the election, where he took her blessings for the future. “While party lines may have divided us, it is possible for political rivals to share friendly and harmonious relations,” he says.
Promise of development
The BJP MP, who is incidentally the richest candidate in the electoral fray in Delhi, says he has brought about much development in his constituency. “I have built government schools, the Signature Bridge connecting north-east Delhi to the rest of the city, as well as the elevated highway which is still under construction but will be completed soon,” he says.
This time, there will be even more development in the area, maintains Mr. Tiwari. “The BJP brought metro services to north-east Delhi for the first time, and solved several other issues dealing with education and traffic. I want to continue this good work if I get re-elected,” he says, adding that he has reminded the public that this election will not just choose their next MP, but also the next Prime Minister of the country.
Mr. Tiwari has also squarely blamed the ruling Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi for the many local issues the voters of his constituency have flagged, including waterlogging, sewage problems, and heavy traffic.
His opponent, INDIA bloc candidate and Congress leader Kanhaiya Kumar, has often criticised him during election rallies for the “slow pace” of development in the constituency. “How responsible could those who led a tukde-tukde gang, those who cannot respect the country and its Army be,” Mr. Tiwari had shot back, without naming explicitly naming Mr. Kumar.
He adds that his work in the area “speaks for itself”. “Voters will see how, for the first time, metro trains, government schools, passport offices, elevated roads and a bridge like the Signature Bridge were developed in north-east Delhi,” he says.
