Dalbir SinghDriver, Constituency: Hari NagarLast time it was onions. Now it is the price of tomatoes that is on an upward spiral. For Dalbir Singh, a 54-year-old driver, the prices of basic food items, including pulses and vegetables, which he can seldom afford now because of a “meagre” salary, will tilt the vote this election. At Rs 45 a kg, tomatoes are a luxury. And so are other vegetables, he says. “Raise the prices of clothes, fridges, televisions and cars but please keep food prices in check,” he says. On disparitiesSingh, who lives in Kishangarh now but will vote from the Hari Nagar constituency, says inequalities between the rich and the poor have been a harsh reality in the years following Independence. There is no employment, no social safety net for the ageing population but there is a high rate of inflation. These are the three parameters that will decide who he will vote for, he says.On employment and safety netSingh was a machinist and worked in the private sector for years but he was exploited. After a brief stint in West Asia, he moved back to Delhi 10 years ago and works as a driver. With no savings, he is worried about old age. “At least we should get some sort of mediclaim benefits from the government, or the leaders must ask the private sector to institute some sort of reforms to provide such essential benefits,” he says. Inflation“We eat dal everyday now because we can barely afford anything else,” Singh says. He lives in a one room tenement with his brother. It is very difficult for us to afford a decent living, he says.
