One year after sweeping to power on the promise of a “triple engine” government, the BJP’s assurances appear to be unravelling on the ground. Mahila Samriddhi Yojana, LPG subsidy and enhanced old age pensions have yet not been implemented.
Residents of the JJ Cluster at DID Colony are facing a legal and final eviction notice issued on February 19, 2026. Around 110 registered residents have been asked to relocate to Savda Ghevra, 30–40 kilometres away.
Several residents say that election promises of renovation and relocation nearby were not fulfilled. They say eviction replaces engagement, their concerns are dismissed, and trust in the government has been shaken.
Ahead of the 2025 Delhi Assembly Elections, the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) government had made several promises to the people of Delhi. It scored a resounding victory in the February 2025 elections in Delhi, securing 48 seats in the unicameral assembly, and reducing AAP (Aam Aadmi Party) to just 22 seats. This was a major significant political development in the national capital, as the BJP had formed their government after 27 years. Rekha Gupta took the oath of Chief Minister on February 20, 2025, with the BJP government officially taking charge in Delhi.
With the Union Government headed by BJP lead NDA, MCD (Municipal Corporation of Delhi) led by BJP, and the Delhi government headed by BJP, a triple engine government has been effectively made. Adding to the cherry on top is the BJP government in bordering areas of Delhi- in Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Haryana.
With one year of BJP governance in Delhi, We set out to various places to find what promises were fulfilled by the government, as promised in the manifesto. Major resolutions (sankalp) by the BJP in their 2025 manifesto for Delhi were the implementation of Mahila Samriddhi Yojana, LPG (Liquified Petroleum Gas) subsidy, renovations and security of JJ (Jhuggi Jhopdi) clusters (slum and housing promises), and senior citizen benefits among others.
Mahila Samriddhi Yojana was projected as a financial welfare scheme that promised ₹2,500 monthly to eligible women in their accounts. The LPG Subsidy promised LPG cylinders to economically weaker section households at a highly subsidized rate of ₹500, and the Delhi old age pension scheme was meant to benefit the senior citizens, providing ₹3,000 (from previous ₹2,500) to eligible senior residents (70+ years), and ₹2,500 (from previous ₹2,000) to senior citizens aged 60 to 70 years. The BJP government heavily campaigned on providing assurances to slum dwellers, JJ clusters and unauthorized colonies residents of securing their surroundings and renovating it, or relocating them to a nearby area.
NewsGram conducted a ground coverage of the JJ (Jhuggi Jhopdi) Cluster located near Defense Colony (popularly known as DID colony), Race Course, Near Riding Club, Safdarjung Road. The area is located in the New Delhi Assembly Constituency (AC 40), whose MLA is Parvesh Verma. Parvesh Verma is also a cabinet minister in the Delhi Government, heading the PWD (Public Works Department) and Water department.
It is also to be noted that previous ground coverages at various JJ clusters and unauthorised colonies in Kirari Vidhan Sabha, Jahangirpuri, and VP Singh Camp exposed heavy administrative failures, and promises not fulfilled. While water, sewage outlet and sanitation problems continue to hound several residents, Mahila Samriddhi Yojana and Delhi Old age pension schemes have yet not been implemented.
Residents of the JJ Cluster at DID Colony are facing an eviction notice by the Land and Development Office, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India. A legal and final notice was issued on February 19, 2026, seeking evacuation of about 110 registered residents of the colony.
The notice states that the JJ Clusters near BR Camp, DID Colony, Masjid Camp are situated on government lands managed by the Land and Development Office. The DUSIB (Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board) has allocated residential flats for the JJ Cluster residents at Savda Ghevra, about 30-40 kms from the area. The final notice comes after several notices that asked residents to vacate, but the residents stayed there, and no eviction or relocation happened.
However, a notice handed out on October 29, 2025, informed them of their eligibility of relocations at Savda Ghevra, and asked them to make proper preparations for vacating their current premises and for relocating. While the aforementioned notice was challenged in the Delhi High Court (Writ Petition (C) 17239/2025), the Court directed the Delhi Government on November 13, 2025, for proper and final relocation arrangements to be made for the cluster dwellers at Savda Ghevra.
A local resident of the JJ Cluster at DID Camp, Roshni Devi, a homemaker, says her family is being forced to leave their home of over 30 years. They received a notice to vacate by March 6, 2026, just days after the Holi festival. She explained that moving to the new location in Ghevra will cause major travel problems for her children, making it hard for them to get to work and school.
Devi also criticized the BJP government for not keeping its election promises. She stated that women never received the ₹2,500 promised under the Mahila Samriddhi Yojana, nor did they get LPG gas cylinders for ₹500. Facing both an upcoming eviction and unfulfilled promises, she questioned how people could still trust the government. She also said that after winning the elections, no elected representative, be it Parvesh Verma, or any BJP MP or MCD official came to visit them, or was accessible to them.
Bharat Prakash, (in his 30s) a young resident of the JJ cluster near DID Camp, says that the eviction notice is not something new that has been handed out to them. He said: “I have been living here since my birth and this is currently my family’s 4th generation. We obviously do not want to move from here. Here, many facilities are provided to us, with schools, hospitals and other services, which will be quite difficult to access at Savda Ghevra.”
Bharat Prakash is an electronic technician. When asked about his response to the eviction notice, he said: “We will wait for the Court’s order for any eviction process. Earlier, the eviction was challenged before the Court and hopefully, it will be challenged again.” Answering to how many eviction notices were served before, he said that it has happened since 30 years, even when the BJP government was last in power. He also added: “The children of this colony are well educated and studying in schools nearby, residents are doing good jobs in close proximity, so why would anyone want to go to Savda Ghevra? Besides, people have been living here for as long as 50 years, and seniors have legal evidence of their residence also, so we will provide that whenever necessary.”
Several residents echoed the sentiments of not wanting to vacate their residences. They also criticised the BJP government for not fulfilling their promises of cluster renovation, or relocation nearby.
A resident, on conditions of anonymity, said that while campaigning for the Delhi 2025 State Assembly elections, Parvesh Verma had promised us that our homes would not be demolished, or taken away from us. He said: “Clearly, the eviction notice says that they are not keeping up their promises. What about the Mahila Samriddhi Yojana? Didn’t they plan to effectively roll out the scheme last March (2025)? Senior citizens are not getting the increment in their old age pension scheme that was promised to them. Many of us even voted for the BJP government, and now they are back-stabbing us.”
Paramjit Kandari, (in his 30s), another resident of the JJ Cluster at DID Camp, said: “This is one of the better JJ clusters in Delhi, and here there are no issues of security, water, electricity or sanitation. Currently, children in schools are having their board exams, and relocation at this point would cause a great deal of trouble. Savda Ghevra is very far from here. How will they travel to school? I have personally seen the Savda Ghevra Residential Cluster, and the place is not good. Transportation and security issues are there. The Ghevra project has been going on since the 2000s, but has not been completed still. Many flats are repainted and made to look good, but the condition of the buildings there are dilapidated.”
The residents also said that if the government needs to relocate them, they should be relocated nearby. Kandari further added: “This government doesn’t listen to the poor. The government is saying that they want to take us to a new phase of development, but they are actually taking us to a backward phase instead. They are not sheltering the poor people.”
LNDO (Land and Development Office) officials were also present at the site, amid enforcement of security forces. An official, who did not wish to be named, said: “The DUSIB has conducted a proper survey to identify eligible occupants for allotment, and proper relocation facilities are being made at the Savda Ghevra. The flats are good there, and the government wants to shift them to a better place. This is the final notice, failing which legal provisions will be carried out to evacuate these residents.”
He also said that this land belongs to the government, and LNDO is effectively administering it. However, several residents said that previously, this area was claimed by the Indian Air Force, at one time even the ASI (Archaeological Survey of India) claimed it, and now the LNDO is claiming it. Many of them also said that they do not wish to move from here, and urged the government to either relocate them nearby, or let them stay at this place.
One year after sweeping to power on the promise of a “triple engine” government, the BJP’s assurances to Delhi’s most vulnerable appear to be unraveling on the ground. For families who voted in hope of security, the immediate reality is displacement. With a final notice issued and relocation proposed 30–40 kilometres away in Savda Ghevra, many fear losing access to schools, jobs and basic services built over decades. Despite repeated claims of development and rehabilitation, residents say that their voices have gone unheard, their concerns dismissed, and their trust shaken.
The larger question confronting the government is not just about land ownership, but about accountability. If manifesto promises fade within a year and eviction replaces engagement, will the BJP’s landmark return to power in Delhi be remembered less for governance, or more for broken assurances to the very people it vowed to uplift?
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