Chandigarh Congress candidate Manish Tewari ramps up padyatra, shifts focus to colonies

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 22

With polling date approaching, the city Congress has intensified its campaign, especially in colonies, which have nearly half of the total voters.

Today, the Congress held three padyatras in the colonies of Sector 25, Mani Majra and Sector 37-C-D, which were led by the party nominee Manish Tewari. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the voter turnout in the city was 73%. The colonies recorded a turnout of 74% and urban areas 68%. The highest four turnouts were reported from colonies —85.41% in Sector 25, 84.52% in Maloya Colony, 84% in Dadu Majra Colony and 83.64% in Indira Colony of Mani Majra. Of a total of 6, 59, 805 voters in the city, 3 lakh (46%) reside in colonies.

However, Congress president HS Lucky said, “It is not that we are focusing more on colonies, we are equally campaigning in urban and rural areas. But, we are indeed highlighting the pain of the downtrodden in colonies and are going to ensure justice to poor people.”

“Colonies suffered in the 10-year misrule of the BJP, which made the poor even poorer. It has cheated people by making hollow promises. No development took place in colonies. We are highlighting Congress guarantees, including providing gas cylinder for Rs 500,” he added.

At present, eight AAP councillors and one each from the Congress and the BJP are from colonies.

However, the BJP claims voting for the MC and parliamentary elections have a different pattern and they enjoy support in colonies.

According to the 2019 Census Migration Report, 1.83 lakh migrants from UP (17.36%) — the highest number of people from another state — resides in the city. The number of those from Punjab is 1.43 lakh (13.58%). Similarly, 88,386 persons (8.37%) living here are from Haryana, 60,465 (5.73%) from Himachal Pradesh and 53,756 (5.09%) from Bihar. The report was based on the 2011 census.

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