The countdown begins, BJP, Cong confident of victory in Rohtak

After a week-long lull, the public attention has once again shifted to the Municipal Corporation elections as the vote-counting day draws near. Not only political leaders but residents have also started speculating on the possible outcomes. The counting of votes is scheduled on March 12.

Though five candidates vied for the position of Mayor, the main contest is seen as a direct battle between the BJP and the Congress. Both parties are confident of victory, with each side asserting that their candidate will emerge victorious. The polling for the elections took place on March 2.

The BJP fielded Ram Avtar Valmiki, the national vice-president of its SC Cell, for the mayoral post, while the Congress nominated former Municipal councillor Surajmal Kiloi. This time, the mayoral seat was reserved for the Scheduled Castes. In the previous elections, the BJP’s candidate, Manmohan Goyal, secured a decisive win.

“The question on everyone’s mind is which party will clinch the mayoral post in Rohtak, especially after the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. As the vote-counting day approaches, the question has become the talk of the town. Rohtak is a critical region for the BJP and the Congress. Rohtak is considered a stronghold of former Chief Minister Bhupinder Hooda. The Congress had previously won the Rohtak Lok Sabha seat, followed by sweeping all four seats of the Rohtak district in the Assembly elections,” said Ashok Kadian, a senior advocate.

Mukesh Bagri, a social activist, commented that there was no doubt the discussions surrounding the political fortunes of the candidates in the civic body elections had gained momentum once again, with only two days were left for the results to be announced. The results mean a lot for both parties.

“People can be seen discussing the upcoming election results at tea, barber shops and other public spaces in Rohtak city. The burning question now is which party and candidate will see their political fortunes take a turn this Holi. While everyone has their own predictions, it’s clear that the outcome will have a significant impact on the future politics of the BJP and the Congress,” Bagri added.

Local MLA and senior Congress leader, Bharat Bhushan Batra, claimed that the Congress would win not only the mayoral post but also more than 50 per cent of the municipal councillor seats in Rohtak city.

“People have voted against the BJP in the civic body elections as the saffron party has utterly failed to resolve chronic problems such as waterlogging, choked sewer line, traffic jams, encroachment, insanitary condition, scarcity of potable water and discrepancies in property IDs in the past five years,” Batra added.

Shamsher Kharak, BJP's state co-media incharge, dismissed the Congress MLA's claims, asserting that not only in Rohtak, but the BJP is set to win the civic body elections comfortably in other districts as well. He further claimed that the Congress would end up with no mayoral seat across the state in the civic body polls.

“Under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi and CM Nayab Singh Saini, the BJP is achieving success in every election in Haryana. The establishment of the party's organisation at the booth level is the primary reason for this electoral success. The benefits of welfare schemes implemented by the Central and state governments are reaching the common people, which have led to a strong connection between the public and the BJP. As a result, the party continues to reap the rewards of this support in every election,” Kharak added.