Best friends Bassi, Arun Sood to slug it out for Mayor’s post

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 4

Best friends Mukesh Bassi and Arun Sood are pitted against each other in the forthcoming mayoral elections.

While Mukesh Bassi is the Congress nominee for the post of Mayor in Chandigarh Municipal Corporation, Arun Sood is the BJP-SAD choice for the seat.

Every leader and worker of the Congress and the BJP-SAD alliance is aware of their friendship. Even today, after filing their nomination papers, Bassi and Sood hugged each other and gave best wishes to each other.

A Congress leader said Mukesh Bassi and Arun Sood had always stood for each other in their difficult times.

Though they were fighting the election against each other but they would always remain good friends, the Congress leader said.

A BJP leader said even senior leaders of the party were aware of the bond that Sood and Bassi share.

Profile of candidates in fray

BJP-SAD alliance nominees

Mayor
Arun Sood (44) of BJP

• Advocate at Punjab and Haryana High Court
• BJP Leader of Opposition in the MC
• Started political career in Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, the student wing of the BJP

Senior Deputy Mayor
Davesh Moudgil (39) of BJP

• Advocate at Punjab and Haryana High Court
• Remained Deputy Mayor in the MC
• Close aide of former MP Satya Pal Jain

Deputy Mayor
Hardeep Singh (32) of SAD

• Businessman 
• Recently won byelection from ward number 10 after the death of his brother Malkiat Singh
• Contesting the post for the first time

CONGRESS FACES

Mayor
Mukesh Bassi (50)

• Industrialist
• Started political innings in 1980
• Remained general secretary of the NSUI, the Youth Congress and the Chandigarh Congress

Senior Deputy Mayor
Darshan Garg (46)

• Businessman
• Started political innings in 1993
• Held Senior Deputy Mayor’s post in 2012

Deputy Mayor
Gurbax Rawat (35)

• IT professional
• Currently holding Deputy Mayor’s post in the Municipal Corporation
• In-charge of the social media cell of the Congress