127 in fray for Panipat MC polls; four in race for mayoral post
With the nomination process ending today, Panipat is set for a heated electoral contest in the upcoming Municipal Corporation (MC) elections. A total of 127 candidates are contesting for councillors' posts, while four candidates are in the fray for the mayoral seat.
Congress mayoral candidate Savita Garg and AAP candidate Pritpal Singh filed their nominations on the last day. BJP candidate Komal Saini and Independent Kewal Singh are also in the race. Two additional candidates, Dinesh and Sanjay Kumar Garg, filed as covering candidates for BJP’s Komal Saini and Congress’ Savita Garg, respectively, but are expected to withdraw their nominations.
Braham Prakash, SDM-cum-Returning Officer, confirmed that 127 candidates have filed nominations across 26 wards.
Panipat MC has 26 wards, with 14 falling under the Panipat City Assembly constituency and 12 under the Panipat Rural constituency. Polling will be held on March 9.
The Congress has fielded 20 candidates on the party symbol and extended support to six Independent candidates. Senior Congress leader Varinder Kumar Shah said, "We will contest on the main issues of corruption and poor development in Panipat." The party is backing Independent candidates in Wards 4, 12, 18, and 19 in the city constituency, while in Panipat Rural, Jai Kumar Bindal (Ward 6) and Saroj Verma (Ward 8) have Congress backing.
Meanwhile, AAP’s mayoral candidate Pritam Pal Singh Khera filed his nomination in the presence of party state chief Sushil Gupta and other leaders. AAP leader Surender Ahlawat said, "Apart from our mayoral candidate, 15 councillor candidates have also filed nominations. We will expose the BJP’s anti-public policies, rising unemployment and poor development in the city."
