MC poll: Political bigwigs lead from front on last day of filing papers

Political bigwigs led from the front as candidates for the upcoming March 2 municipal poll filed their nominations on the last date of filing nominations today.

The ruling BJP fielded its big guns, including CM, Union and state ministers, in a virtual show of strength before the filing of nominations by its candidates for 35 civic bodies, including 10 municipal corporations.

A keen contest is on the cards with the Congress also trying its best to bounce back after its surprise defeat in the October 2024 Assembly poll. The BJP, on the other hand, hopes to continue its winning streak to realise its dream of forming a 'triple-engine' government in Haryana.

CM Nayab Singh Saini accompanied party mayoral candidate Ram Avatar Valmiki in Rohtak and party candidate for municipal council chairperson’s post Mafi Dhanda at Thanesar. Saini was quick to claim that the BJP would win the civic body poll on the strength of its development works.

Congress MLA BB Batra accompanied the party’s mayoral candidate from Rohtak, Surajmal Kiloi. In Sonepat to open the election office of its mayoral candidate Rajiv Jain, BJP chief Mohan Lal Badoli claimed that the Congress was a divided house.

Meanwhile, Union minister Rao Inderjit Singh accompanied party’s Gurugram mayoral candidate Rajrani Malhotra to file the papers. State minister Rao Narbir Singh accompanied party’s Manesar mayoral candidate Sundar Lal Yadav. State minister Vipul Goel accompanied Praveen Joshi, the Faridabad mayoral candidate. In Karnal, Education Minister Mahipal Dhanda accompanied its mayoral candidate Renu Bala Gupta.

Meanwhile, Hisar MP Jai Prakash was among those who accompanied party’s candidate from Hisar, Krishan Singla.

The party has also faced a revolt with Ram Niwas Rara, a Kumari Selja loyalist, filing his nomination as an Independent candidate.

Senior minister Anil Vij, who got nearly a dozen names of the councillor change after a protest, held the fort in Ambala as the party candidates filed nominations.

Meanwhile, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, a former CM, said the Congress would raise local civic issues as the condition of amenities was going from bad to worse in the BJP regime.