Candidates leave no stone unturned to woo voters

After filing their nomination, candidates – BJP’s Rajiv Jain, Congress’ Kamal Diwan and others -- have intensified their campaigning. They and their supporters are leaving no stone unturned to woo voters.

The candidates began their day by organising meetings with their workers early in the morning and the campaigning ended late at night. As per the scheduled programme, candidates are holding 10 to 12 campaigning programmes in a day. Their supporters and party leaders are also organising meetings.

Though a total of five candidates -- BJP candidate Rajiv Jain, Congress candidate Kamal Diwan, BSP candidate Dharamvir, AAP candidate Dr Kamlesh Kumar Saini and an Independent Ramesh Kumar Khatri -- are in the fray in the Sonepat mayoral byelection, it seems to be a direct contest between the BJP’s experienced player Jain and Congress’ Kamal Diwan.

However, the ruling party candidate, Rajiv Jain, a member of the Vaishya community, has a long political career and had served as media coordinator with two Chief Ministers -– former CM Bansi Lal and former CM Manohar Lal Khattar -- while his wife, Kavita Jain, served as Urban Local Bodies Minister from 2014 to 2019 in the first BJP government.

Jain on Wednesday addressed public gatherings organised in Rewli village, Sikka Colony, Rathdhana, Sector 15, Shiv Colony Dewru Road and other places. Along with party candidates, former Cabinet minister Kavita Jain, MLA Rai Krishna Gahalwat, Lalit Batra and other leaders also addressed the gatherings.

Rajiv Jain said that the people in the city have decided to form a triple engine government to continue the development works in the city. The BJP would create history by winning all seats in the civic polls on the basis of the development works done, Jain said.

On the other hand, Congress candidate Kamal Diwan, a Punjabi face, entered the electoral fray for the first time carrying the legacy of his father Dev Raj Diwan, who was elected MLA from Sonepat in 1996 and 2000.

Diwan on Wednesday held public meetings at Raj Mohalla, Vacson colony, grain market, Model Town, District Bar Association, Rajiv Nagar, Govind Nagar, Roop Nagar, Subhash Chowk, Kachey Quarter and railway station. Former MLA Surender Panwar, former MLA Padam Singh Dahiya, Manoj Ridhau along with other leaders were present during his campaigning.