Kumari Selja, Kiran by her side, Priyanka Gandhi steals show in Sirsa, revives Congress spirits
Anil Kakkar
Sirsa, May 23
On the last day of campaigning today, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi arrived in Sirsa for the first time, to conduct a roadshow for Congress candidate Kumari Selja. In just 1 hour and 10 minutes, she transformed the election atmosphere in Sirsa. Until yesterday, the election seemed dull, but Priyanka’s arrival boosted the morale of party leaders and workers in Sirsa.
With former minister Kiran Choudhry on Priyanka’s right and Congress candidate Kumari Selja on her left, the trio sent a message of women empowerment to the public. Other Congress leaders, such as Dabwali MLA Amit Sihag and Kalanwali MLA Shishpal Keharwala, stood behind these three women. The roadshow demonstrated a united front for the Congress party in the Sirsa constituency.
Flower shower
- Priyanka was welcomed with over five quintals of rose petals. Throughout the three-km-long roadshow, rose petals were continuously showered on her vehicle.
- The roadshow passed through seven main chowks of the city. At each chowk, music bands, bhangra teams, cultural teams greeted Priyanka with their performances.
Priyanka was welcomed with over five quintals of rose petals. Throughout the three-km-long roadshow, rose petals were continuously showered on her vehicle. The roadshow passed through seven main chowks of the city. At each chowk, bands, bhangra teams, Haryanvi cultural teams greeted Priyanka with their performances. Two large DJ vans ahead of Priyanka’s vehicle played songs related to the “Bharat Jodo Yatra”, boosting the crowd’s enthusiasm.
Sirsa recorded a high of 47 degrees Celsius today, and it was already quite hot by 10 am. Therefore, Congress workers made arrangements of water and lemonade at every chowk.
The entire route of the roadshow was lined with posters of Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and Kumari Selja. At Sri Shyam Bagichi, where the roadshow started, 25-feet-tall posters of these Congress leaders were displayed. Each chowk was adorned with photos of Congress leaders.
More than 50,000 people from across Sirsa attended Priyanka’s roadshow, most of them holding Congress flags.
During the roadshow, a Congress worker gave Priyanka a special garland, and another one gave her a turban, which she placed on Selja’s head, drawing a thunderous applause. A heavy police force was also deployed for the roadshow.
Priyanka did not use the microphone during the roadshow, leaving the work of appealing for votes to Kumari Selja, and acknowledging the crowd with her smile.
Congress leader Anil Khod, son of former Ellenabad MLA Lal Chand Khod, said Priyanka’s roadshow would increase Kumari Selja’s winning margin.
Khod, campaigning for Congress after 15 years, believes that Selja’s return has revitalised the Congress in Sirsa. He claimed that even the RSS and INLD supporters in the Sirsa constituency want Kumari Selja to win.
Krishna Phogat, who managed the roadshow, said Kumari Selja’s return had particularly excited women. Phogat joined the Congress on April 29 after being with the INLD party for 30 years. She stated that it felt natural to be in the Congress, where she was well-respected, adding that Selja, a leader with an unblemished reputation, would win the Sirsa Lok Sabha seat by a huge margin.
At Parshuram Chowk, 60-year-old Congress workers Joginder Kaur and Kamlesh Ahuja, waiting for Priyanka, shared their long-standing dedication to the Congress party. Joginder Kaur had campaigned for Kumari Selja’s first election and for former MPs Atma Singh Gill and Ashok Tanwar. She said she had an emotional bond with Selja, who had “always supported her” in times of need. Kamlesh Ahuja said Priyanka’s arrival felt like a storm that would sweep away the rival parties.
A local shopkeeper, Vishal Bajaj, welcomed Priyanka’s presence in Sirsa but acknowledged that the competition would be tough and Selja’s victory would not come easily.
