Door-to-door campaigns, meets held on last day in Sonepat dist

Candidates contesting for the mayoral seat on Saturday campaigned door-to-door to woo voters and also spent time with their supporters, while making strategies to influence maximum voters to exercise their right to franchise on Sunday. Apart from this, family members of candidates were also busy daylong in meetings with prominent groups of the people.

The polling for the mayoral seat for the Sonepat Municipal Corporation (MC) would be held on Sunday (March 2). In all, 2,94,362 voters — 1,53,437 male, 1,40,918 female voters and seven transgender — will cast their votes on Sunday to elect mayor for the second time.

The polling would be held at 268 polling booths. The administration on Saturday sent all polling parties to their respective booths.

Five contestants — Rajiv Jain from the BJP, Kamal Diwan from the Congress, BSP candidate Dharamvir, Kamlesh Saini from the AAP and an Independent candidate Ramesh Kumar Khatri — are in fray for the mayoral election.

The mayor’s seat got vacant after the first incumbent Nikhil Madaan was elected MLA from Sonepat Assembly seat on the BJP ticket in October last year.

Now, the BJP has fielded an experienced player Rajiv Jain in the poll battle, while the Congress has given ticket to Kamal Diwan, son of two times former MLA Devraj Diwan.

Jain on Monday campaigned door-to-door in Jain Bagh Colony, Adarsh Nagar, Jiwan Nagar, Sector 14 market, Patel Nagar, Chauhan Joshi, Sujan Singh Park, Shastry Colony, Kumhar Gate, Pragati Nagar, Vishal Nagar, Arya Nagar and Panchayat Bhawan to woo voters. Jain also visited homes of prominent people in the city and claimed that there was one sided wave in the favour of the BJP. He said the people had decided to bring a triple government in the city.

MLA Nikhil Madaan, BJP district president Jasbeer Dodwa, former Cabinet Minister Kavita Jain, Lalit Batra and other party leaders also held door-to-door campaigns in support of their party candidate.

The polling for the chairman and councillors of Kharkhoda Municipal Committee (MC) would also be held on Sunday. In all, 20,149 voters — 10,644 male and 9,502 female — would elect their chairman and councillors for 16 wards of the Kharkhoda MC. Four candidates are in fray for the chairman’s post in Kharkhoda.

Deputy Commissioner Manoj Kumar appealed to voters to participate in the election process. He said only those residents could cast their votes whose names were in the voters’ list. All voters had to bring their identity cards with them at the time of polling, he said. He also appealed to voters to maintain peace during polling.