ASSEMBLY POLL 2024: Migrants to play key role in Panipat Rural

The countdown for the Assembly poll has begun with only eight days left for October 5.

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The triangular contest among the BJP’s two-time MLA Mahipal Dhanda, Independent candidate Vijay Jain and Congress’ Sachin Kundu has turned into an interesting one in the Panipat Rural Assembly constituency.

This rural seat is a semi-urban constituency, consisting of 42 villages, industrial and residential sectors and over 120 colonies. Over 2.84 lakh voters will elect their representative from here in these elections.

Panipat is an industrial town and over four lakh migrant labourers are working in textile units here. As per the data available, scores of migrants have shifted here permanently and constructed their houses here. Apart from this, a large number of people have shifted permanently from various villages here.

The migrant people come mostly from eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, parts of West Bengal, western Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttarkhand. They live in the outer colonies permanently, playing a crucial role in the winning of any candidate.

Suman Jha, District President, Samast Purvanchal Samaj, Panipat, said over 60,000 voters are living in the colonies under the Panipat rural constituency here, while over 40,000 are in the outer colonies of the Panipat urban Assembly constituency.

Ombir Panwar, who was one of the ticket aspirants from the Panipat rural Assembly segment from the Congress, said over one lakh voters are migrants living in colonies and they played a crucial role in deciding the fate of any candidate. All candidates are trying to woo the migrant voters on a priority basis as these voters may turn to be the game-changers, he said.

Any political party or candidate can’t dare to ignore them, he said.

Meanwhile, the three candidates continuously visit these colonies on a daily basis.

In 2009, Independent candidate Om Prakash Jain was elected MLA from here as he had a very good support from these colonies. However, after that the seat went to the BJP’s Mahipal Dhanda in 2014 and 2019 as he had promised for getting these colonies approved.

Dhanda is again in the electoral battle in the name of development works done in these colonies as well as in villages.

Congress candidate Sachin Kundu is relying on his party stalwart former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda and MP Deepender Singh Hooda. He is also trying hard to open Congress’ account on this seat.

Political pundits said the Congress rebel independent candidate Vijay Jain has also a strong hold in colonies this time, as he was working continuously for the past two-three years for contesting elections from the Panipat rural constituency.

Who will get victory from the assembly would be decided only on October 8, with the trio of Mahipal, Jain and Kundu leaving no stone unturned to woo the voters, not only in colonies but also in the villages.