Once magnificent 'havelis' with ornate walls peeling off, shops squatting in grand Mughal-era courtyards, crumbling historic edifices tell a tale of neglect and apathy by powers that be. But some aware citizens are making heritage protection in Old Delhi an issue in these elections.

"The Old Delhi today is just a shadow of the place that I had grown up seeing. Unless somebody points out to you that this is the haveli (palace) in Ballimaran where Shah Jahan's famous wife Zeenat Begum lived, you wouldn't even give it a second look," rued Ajmal Khan, a 70-year-old resident of the Ballimaran area of Chandni Chowk constituency.

Amid the humdrum of human voices and perpetual ringing of bicycle bells, Khan runs a small eatery selling kebabs and korma in one of the narrow lanes.