Civic body poll campaign gains pace in Rohtak, candidates reach out to voters

With the announcement of candidates by two major political parties, the Rohtak Municipal Corporation election for the post of Mayor is gaining momentum.

The candidates have begun reaching out to prominent figures and voters to garner support ahead of filing their nomination papers, while workers from the BJP and the Congress are energised and optimistic about winning the elections. The Mayor’s post has been reserved for candidates from the Scheduled Castes.

The BJP has fielded Ram Avtar Valmiki, who previously contested the Kalanaur (Reserve) Assembly seat unsuccessfully in 2009, 2014, and 2019, for the post of Mayor. Currently, he is the national vice-president of the SC Cell of the party. Valmiki was among 21 individuals vying for the BJP ticket for the top post.

“Valmiki will file his nomination papers on Monday in the presence of Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini. Some other BJP candidates for the post of Councillor will also file their nomination on the occasion,” said Ashok Khurana, a former councillor and local BJP leader.

The Congress has announced Surajmal Kiloi, a former municipal councillor, as its mayoral candidate. His wife has also served as a municipal councillor. Once a BJP leader, Surajmal returned to the Congress just ahead of the 2024 Assembly elections, having previously worked in the Congress for many years.

Surajmal launched his election campaign on Sunday by paying obeisance at the Maa Durga Devi Temple in Ekta Colony in Ward 21. “We will focus on public issues during our campaign, and we are confident of victory,” he stated.

Local MLA and senior Congress leader Bharat Bhushan Batra expressed confidence that the Congress would wrest the mayoral seat from the BJP this time. He highlighted issues such as waterlogging, blocked sewer lines, poor sanitation, lack of potable water, and poor condition of roads as key concerns for the public. “People are also being forced to visit government offices repeatedly to fix their property and family IDs,” Batra said.

Meanwhile, former Cooperative Minister and senior BJP leader, Manish Kumar Grover, claimed that a triple-engine government would be formed in the upcoming municipal elections across the state.

“People will vote for the BJP in these elections to endorse the remarkable public welfare policies and historical decisions made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the centre and Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini in Haryana. As the BJP continues to drive progress and prosperity, the people are determined to form a triple-engine government for the BJP in every poll-bound area of the state,” Grover asserted.

Grover emphasised that all BJP workers would toil hard with unity to secure victory, ensuring the lotus blooms in Rohtak, just like it did in the recent Assembly elections in Haryana, Delhi, and Maharashtra. “Congress has completely lost its relevance and is finished. Once the triple-engine government is in place, the pace of development will accelerate, bringing growth and better opportunities for all,” Grover added.