Gurugram faces election poster mess

Two days after the municipal body elections concluded in Gurugram, the city remains heavily defaced with election banners, posters and stickers. Despite pre-election promises from candidates to clean up after the polls, the majority have failed to remove their campaign materials. This has prompted local Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) to issue warnings, threatening fines and penalties for non-compliance.

“The elections are over and we have been tolerant so far. All candidates are responsible for clearing their election material. We are giving them a day or two to do so, or relevant authorities will take action and impose penalties,” said Deputy Commissioner Ajay Kumar.

Although Gurugram saw a low voter turnout in many urban areas, the city is still covered in campaign posters, banners and stickers, defacing public spaces, markets and even homes. RWAs have repeatedly appealed to candidates to take action.

“Those who wish to take civic responsibility must first fulfil their civic duties. We were very tolerant during the campaign, but stickers were even pasted on people’s homes. Now it’s time for candidates to step up and clean up or RWAs will take action,” said Praveen Yadav from United Gurugram RWAs.

MCG Commissioner Ashok Kumar Garg confirmed the city’s efforts to remove the defacement, saying, “The civic body has already directed teams to begin removing election materials from public spaces. Candidates and their political parties must take responsibility for clearing up. If they fail to do so, penalties will be imposed under the Haryana Prevention of Defacement of Property Act.”

The authority is planning survey drives in areas such as MG Road, Sohna Road, Sector 29, Sadar Bazar and key residential sectors to remove leftover campaign material. Amid this, an independent candidate from Ward 4 has gone viral for personally clearing his area of election posters, regardless of party affiliation. Pradeep Padam, who had promised to remove defacement in his election manifesto, hired a tempo to clear posters, winning praise online for his initiative.

Although election results are still pending, Padam’s actions have earned him admiration from the public.