BJP candidate goes all out to woo voters, highlights achievements

Amit Bathla

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, October 15

With a fleet of sports utility vehicles (SUVs), BJP’s nominee from Panchkula Gian Chand Gupta leaves his house in Sector 17 here around 10:30 am for his campaign trail on Tuesday. He was running late as per his daily programme schedule prepared by Ajay Sharma, who is also programme in-charge.

The campaign team, which didn’t have a single woman, carried a lot of pamphlets consisting list of development works carried out by the BJP in Panchkula, party flags, patkas and an essential item for campaigning - a jumbo mobile loud speaker.

The team had a dedicated member to distribute pamphlets among voters as soon as they reached any indoor meeting, nukkad sabha and door-to-door campaigning. The first stop was an industrial plot in the Industrial Area, Phase 2, where he addressed a gathering, which included representatives from the Panchkula Industrial Association.

Gupta pledged to address their grievances, as he had in last five years. The Khattar-led BJP government introduced single-window system for ease of doing business, he said.

Then his convoy moved to Kundi village for an indoor meeting where a few joined the BJP. The incumbent MLA was leaving no opportunity to shake hands in the locality in an attempt to woo voters. Now, the campaign team moved to Fatehpur village where an outdoor meeting was arranged.

“If Chander Mohan comes to seek votes, you should ask where he was in the past 15 years? Why he neglected Panchkula despite becoming the Deputy Chief Minister in the Haryana government?” he said.

He also raked up national issues such as demonetisation, Pulwama, Jan Dhan Yojana and India’s pride at the international level. He didn’t forget to mention four-laning of the Panchkula-Yamunanagar Highway, NIFT, 250-bedded AYUSH Hospital as part of the works which became possible only due to his efforts.

Upon being asked of his voting preference, Fatehpur resident Angrez Singh (34) said: “We will vote for the BJP as the party is running the Central government. It doesn’t create any hindrance in the development of Haryana. If the Congress comes to power, the Centre won’t give them enough funds for development projects.”

The campaign team was done with four events with their meeting at Maheshpur village. But the 71-year-old BJP nominee didn’t seem to be tired at all as he was ready for his next event at the District Bar Association office in Sector 1. There he was accompanied by BJP’s Kalka nominee Latika Sharma, who was a practicing lawyer before her political fray.

Followed by an outdoor meeting at the Sector 20 apple market around 2:30 pm, Gupta’s campaign convoy rushed to the BJP’s election office in Sector 8 where he addressed a press conference.

While public meetings in Khadak Mangoli, Budhanpur were held in the following hours, indoor meetings took place in Sector 7, 17 and 20. His programmes lasted till 9 pm following which the supporters dispersed for their respective homes to meet again tomorrow for another day of campaigning.

His speeches were quite familiar at almost all events as he dwelled upon Article 370 and Chander Mohan’s whereabouts for past 15 years as he came from nowhere to contest elections from Panchkula.

Gupta is clearly focusing on wooing voters in villages as his main rival from Congress Chander Mohan is hoping to capture this space.