‘No parks, no new infrastructure — my village has been the same for the past 15 years:’ At Delhi’s polling station No.1 in Lampur village, discontent simmers

From the seat, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has fielded Dinesh Bharadwaj, replacing sitting MLA Sharad Kumar. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded Raj Karan Khatri and the Congress candidate is Aruna Kumari.

Outside the primary school, a group of farmers, dressed in woolen sweaters, discuss everything from crop yields to local politics as they wait to vote. Their conversations show a simmering discontent.

Pointing to the barricades, Prem Singh Saini, says, “Bas ek kilometre dur hai Haryana. Aur yahan humare halat dekh lo. (Haryana is just a kilometre away, but look at our condition here).” He is referring to better civic amenities across the border, as compared to Delhi.

The 65-year-old, who owns five acres of land, adds, “We’ve been facing immense losses because of unpredictable weather. There’s no insurance for vegetable crops. When a hailstorm destroyed my harvest two years ago, I received no help from the ruling AAP.”

The village, predominantly dominated by Sainis, is a picture of neglect with its crumbling infrastructure and glaring lack of development.

“The roads are all broken,” says 49-year-old Anil Saini, who has lived in Lampur all his life. “AAP built a community hall here, but it’s been lying vacant for years. There are no parks, no new infrastructure. My village has been the same for the past 15 years.”

Navigating the pothole-riddled roads to reach the polling station, 55-year-old Choti Devi and her daughter-in-law Taravati could be seen covering their faces with their saree pallus. Taravati, 32, touched the feet of her elders before heading to vote. Her hopes, like those of many women in the village, rest on promises yet to be fulfilled.

“I enrolled in both the Mahila Samman Yojana by AAP and the Mahila Samridhi Yojana by BJP,” Taravati says. “Dono ka card bhara hai, dekhte hai ab konsa milega (I filled forms for both schemes; let’s see which one comes through).”

For Choti Devi, the lack of basic amenities overshadows any election rhetoric. “We haven’t been able to make ration cards for years, and no leader has helped us,” she says.

“When it rains, the roads are impossible to travel on. And because we’re near the border, there are safety concerns too.”

Adjusting her pallu, she says with a resigned sigh, “Vote daal toh diye, ab sab bhagwan ke haath me (We’ve cast our votes; now everything is in God’s hands).”

The lack of a secondary school for girls in the village is another pressing issue. “Our girls have to go to another village to study. We want a school here so they can be safe,” Choti Devi says.

The frustration with the lack of development isn’t confined to roads and schools. Vimla Devi, 56, a housewife, points to the broken sewer lines in Dal Mill street. “All the sewers are open, and the sewage is flowing in the streets,” she says.

Like the others, she is disillusioned by the local leadership. “If no one listens to us this time, I won’t vote in the next election,” she insists. The farmers in the village are also frustrated by the lack of government support for their crops.

Ten km away is the Singhu border, a stark reminder of the year-long farmers’ protest between 2020 and 2021 when thousands of farmers, primarily from Punjab and Haryana, marched to Delhi to demand the repeal of three contentious agriculture laws.

For Lampur’s farmers, the protests symbolised hope — and eventual heartbreak.

“MSP hataoge toh kisaan fasal kaise ugaega?” asked Prem Singh, referring to the government’s minimum support price. “No party is truly listening to us.”

Surender Saini, 58, who cultivates eight acres of wheat and vegetables, held a contrasting view. “Yeh aandolan bas rajneeti tha (the protests were all political). I’ve stopped paying attention because I’ve lost hope.” He adds that his earnings have dropped by Rs 1,000 per quintal compared to previous years.