The 145;well-rounded146; campaign

Accompanied by party office-bearers and supporters, Mukhi kicks-off the first-round of his padyatra at 7:30 each morning. 8220;This is the time when we can meet most of the voters, as later they leave for work,8221; says party worker Namita Sinha. 8220;In this constituency, Professor Jagdish Mukhi has been defying the laws of anti-incumbency since 1980.8221; The first-round lasts three hours, during which Mukhi goes from street to street, meeting voters and assuring them about their demands. The crowd only increases as he crosses street after street.

8220;Mukhi sir knows people by their first names here. When he visits our area, he talks to us as an insider,8221; says KD Sahni, a resident of C-Block, Janakpuri.

The first-round is followed by the 8216;women8217;s round8217;8212;an innovative door-to-door campaign aimed at the female voters in the area 8212; led by Mukhi8217;s wife Prema, his daughter and daughter-in-law. The third-round of the campaign is the most vigorous of all. This time Mukhi sets off to meet traders and senior citizens, who constitute a majority of his supporters in the traditional BJP stronghold.

As the campaign progresses, slogans highlight the work done by Mukhi during the past decade. Every street opens it doors to greet the crowd; be it the local dhobi or the sweet shop owner. 8220;Nobody who approaches Professor Mukhi with a problem ever returns without aid. Since the roads are top notch, power cuts are not over the top and there is regular water supply, we now want better facilities like underground parking and recreation centres, and he has assured us of those,8221; says a resident Vikas Chaddha.

Mukhi himself sums up his manifesto in a three-pronged slogan: 8220;In the early days, I rooted for better facilities for Janakpuri and basic amenities for Uttam Nagar. This year, it is luxury for Janakpuri, better facilities for Uttam Nagar, and basic amenities for Mahavir Enclave and Sitapuri within one year. I know I will make this possible as I am confident of winning.8221;

Youth wing in-charge Pradeep Chaudhary says, 8220;The constituency has a mix of businessmen, traders, Baniya and Punjabi community, who play an important role in deciding the winner. However, Mahavir Enclave and Sitapuri, unauthorised colonies added to the constituency after delimitation, are a challenge.8221;