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As Indian cities expand, water becomes extremely necessary to support the process of urbanisation. These growing water needs are translated onto the body of the city in the form of intense conflicts over the limited supply. These conflicts place water at the centre of socio-spatial, cultural, political and ecological tensions in the city. Through persistent struggles to access water by strategies such as passive resistance, self help, individual resistance and social mobilisation, the marginalised groups and individuals in the contemporary Indian city negotiate their water claims. However, the State through its ability to legalise (or make illegal) certain practices and spaces, controls the right to potable water in the city. This paper explores how the right to potable water and the right to the city are defined and challenged by the politics of the State and the counter politics of the marginalised groups in the context of urban poor in Delhi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]