Sohna residents up in arms against ‘outside’ candidates

Tribune News Service

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Gurugram, August 29

In the vibrant heart of Sohna Assembly constituency of Gurugram, local residents have raised their voice demanding from the political parties to field local candidates in the ensuing Assembly elections who reflect their needs and aspirations.

Representatives from 54 villages of Taoru and 35 villages of Sohna subdivision gathered and pressed the necessity to prioritise local candidates over outsiders.

Desraj Goyal, a Sohna resident, under whose chairmanship the mahapanchayat was held, said the Assembly constituency came into existence in 1967. Howver, not even a single candidate from the area has ever been elected in the last 13 elections.

Reflecting the voice of local residents, he announced that this time they would field a local candidate on their own if the main political parties do not pay heed to their demand.

It may be mentioned that in the 2019 elections, Sanjay Singh of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) defeated Rohtas Singh of the Jananayak Janta Party (JJP) by a margin of 12,453 votes. Sanjay was recently inducted into the council of ministers by Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini and holds portfolios of Sports, Forest and Environment departments. However, he is not a local. Tejpal Tanwar, a resident of Badshahpur, was elected as an MLA from Sohna in 2014; Dharamveer, a resident of Gaindawas (Bhiwani) village, was elected in 2009; and Sukhbir Singh Jainapuria, a native of Tonk (Rajasthan), a realtor in Gurugram, was elected in 2005 from here.

Besides this, Rao Dharampal Yadav, a resident of Sirhol village of the Gurgaon Assembly constituency, remained as an MLA of Sohna from 1987 to 1996 and 2000 to 2004.

In this complex tapestry of political representation, local voices hold immense significance, especially during the time of elections. These voices are not merely echoes of individual opinions, they also represent collective sentiments, aspirations, and challenges of the local community.

Desraj alleged that the main drawback of outsider MLAs was that the development works were neglected in the rural and semi-urban areas. Healthcare, education and transport facilities in rural areas were worse, he said while adding that employment opportunities were also not equally provided to youth.

The deteriorating state of roads, inadequate public transportation, poor potable water supply, insufficient sanitation facilities are other issues that reflect poor state of affairs in the Assembly constituency, he added.