Campaigning over, race for Gurgaon Lok Sabha seat anything but

District administration officials said the campaigning ended at 6pm on Thursday, and candidates and political parties are not allowed to hold any rally or public meeting in the next two days

Gurugram on Thursday was a vision in multicolour as political parties traversed the length of the Lok Sabha constituency to reach out to the maximum number of voters through roadshows, door-to-door campaigns and large public meetings on the last day of campaigning for the sixth phase of elections.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed public in Mahendergarh in support of Gurgaon Lok Sabha candidate and incumbent Rao Inderjit Singh. (HT Photo)

District administration officials said the campaigning ended at 6pm on Thursday, and candidates and political parties are not allowed to hold any rally or public meeting in the next two days.

The Gurgaon Lok Sabha constituency goes to polls on May 25 and 2.5 million voters from Gurugram, Nuh and Rewari districts will cast their votes in the general election.

The police observer appointed by the Election Commission of India for the Gurgaon Lok Sabha, Deepak Mishra, held a review meeting of the security arrangements for the polls.

Mishra directed officials to ensure that there was no public gatherings at polling stations. He directed that a security drill be carried out to find any loophole in the security system, prior to the polling exercise. He also called for making adequate arrangements, such as drinking water, and other amenities to ensure voting is held comfortably.

Congress holds roadshow

Congress candidate Raj Babbar held a roadshow in the city on Thursday afternoon, which started at Civil Lines and concluded at New Colony Morh, passing through thickly populated areas of Old Gurugram, including Sadar Bazar. A large number of people participated in the roadshow.

Addressing the gathering, Babbar said that he realised during his visits to different parts of the city in the past few days that despite generating 60% of the state’s revenue, civic amenities and infrastructure in Gurugram were in poor shape. “Roads are in bad state, the sanitation system does not work, and garbage is strewn across the city. I appeal to the people to vote for Congress and bring change so that development can be carried out in the city,” he said.

Sukhbir Kataria, a former Haryana minister, said that the Congress campaign received a very good response from the public, and they expect to perform strongly in the Lok Sabha polls. “The Congress is going to make a strong comeback in Haryana in Lok Sabha and coming Rajya Sabha polls,” he said.

BJP banks on development

A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) contingent, led by MLA Satyaprakash Jarawta, held a roadshow in Pataudi. Party leaders appealed for votes, citing developmental works carried out by incumbent Rao Inderjit Singh in south Haryana.

Inderjit Singh, meanwhile, participated in a rally at Mahendergarh, which was addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The PM said that the BJP was committed to protecting the reservations given to OBC, SC and ST communities, as per the provisions of the Constitution.

“The people of Gurugram and Haryana must continue to support the BJP if they want development to continue in the state. The BJP is committed to reservations given to various communities as per the provisions of the Constitution,” Inderjit Singh said.

Inderjit Singh said that the people of Gurugram witnessed significant development in the past 10 years, and he will continue this work in the next five years.

Modi said that the 2024 Lok Sabha polls will determine the future of INDIA and the opposition alliance is talking about five PMs over the next five years.

“I want to clarify one thing that Congress will not come to power in their next seven births. The opposition alliance partners are fighting over ghee before the cow has given milk. You will not only choose the country’s PM but also decide the country’s future. On the one hand is your tried and tested ‘sewak’ Modi. Who is on the other side? One does not know,” he said.

JJP promises better access

The Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) candidate, Rahul Yadav “Fazilpuria”, also held a roadshow in Sohna, Kapriwas and Tauru, where he appealed to the people to embrace change and give a youth leader the chance to work for them.

“The current MP has spent 20 years in politics and done nothing for the people and constituency. He is inaccessible and it is time people change someone who lives among them. If people give me a chance, I assure them that I will bring development and resolve their basic issues,” he said.