Gurugram/Badshahpur: Gurugram and Badshahpur are seeing high-stakes contests before the Haryana assembly elections, with not only traditional political parties but also residents’ welfare associations fielding candidates.
Haryana goes to polls on 5 October, with the results scheduled for 8 October. The candidates from RWAs are contesting as Independents.
In Gurugram, the Federation of Apartment Owners Association’s president and Real Estate Regulatory Authority’s Central Advisory Council member Sanjay Lal is contesting as an Independent. His election symbol is a bunch of people, and his party is named NAAGRIK.
Speaking with ThePrint, Lal said he is contesting this election because successive representatives have failed to resolve the issues of Gurugram.
“Infrastructure, roads, clean air, sewerage, water, health and garbage (management) are basics. The successive MLAs and governments could not resolve it (the issues with these facilities). And that is why I am fighting this election,” said Lal, sitting in his office at Sushant Lok.
Lal said the idea to contest the election germinated in his mind during a meeting with various RWAs on a Zoom call. Another RWA president, Ajay Sharma, had filed his nomination from Badshahpur, but it stands rejected due to technical issues.
“Everyone was like: ‘Enough is enough. We can not take it.’ And that is when we thought we should give it a shot,” said Lal, sitting with blue-coloured pamphlets urging people to vote for him scattered on his desk.
Lal, who said he has been collecting money through crowdfunding, is not canvassing for votes like traditional parties. However, he holds small gatherings at condominiums and door-to-door meetings in urban areas. In rural Gurugram, he is having a tough time making inroads.
“I have collected Rs 4 lakh through crowdfunding. With that, I have printed a few pamphlets and some two to three posters. I am not taking out big rallies because I do not want to block the roads,” said Lal.
Lal said he might not win, but his nomination as an Independent sends a message to the traditional parties — if they do not resolve their issues, people will take on the fight for their rights.
Gurugram and Badshahpur are seeing political campaigns, driven by a mix of caste, religion and development. The two assembly constituencies have a mix of urban and rural voters and a significant presence of migrant workers.
In the Gurugram district, Cyber Hub and high-rises are on one side and middle-class colonies and slums are on the other. Badshapur is one of the four sub-divisions that fall within the Gurugram district.
Lal’s campaign is already making an impact in Gurugram. The problems of urban voters he cites have made their way into candidate speeches of the traditional political parties, from the BJP to the Congress.
All candidates raise civic issues
Gurugram is witnessing a high-pitch battle between a Punjabi candidate by Congress, Mohit Grover, and a Brahmin face by BJP, Mukesh Sharma. Sharma, who is going to people with the pitch that voting for a Brahmin will bring them the fruits of good karma, can also not close his eyes to the issues of Gurugram raised by the RWAs. At his recent public meetings, he has highlighted road, garbage and drainage problems.
Congress candidate from Badshahpur Vardhan Yadav has called Gurugram a “kudedan (garbage can)” in his speeches while raising the issues of broken roads and clogged drains in the two neighbouring constituencies.
“In Badshahpur, people buy apartments worth crores, but when they step out of their houses, all they witness are broken roads. I am here to change that,” Yadav told ThePrint.
When asked about the RWA participation in the election, Vardhan Yadav said he was aware of the development and blamed the BJP for failing to ensure comprehensive development.
“The urban voters, for the longest time, have been aligned towards the BJP, but now, they have understood that the party has done nothing for them in the last 10 years. That’s why they are taking the plunge into the electoral fray,” said Yadav.
Contesting against the 33-year-old Yadav is BJP veteran and former minister Rao Narbir Singh (63). While Singh has been canvassing for votes, saying it would be his last election, Yadav has been urging people to vote for a young, fresh face.
In one of his meetings, Singh said that re-electing him would ensure infrastructure and economic boost to the city. Campaigning for Singh, Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced a 700-bed hospital, a world-class 100-acre intake hub, and an international-level jungle safari in the Aravalli hills.
On the other hand, Congress leader Deepender Singh Hooda announced at a rally that he would make Vardhan Yadav a minister if he wins the Gurugram assembly seat.
Political analyst Anil Arya said that Congress has tried to experiment with Vardhan Yadav in this election and might also benefit from it.
“Vardhan Yadav is a Yadav himself, and his wife is a Punjabi. And his wife comes from an affluent background. She is from the Om Sweets family, and this way, Congress is securing the votes of both the Ahirs and the Punjabis in Badshahpur,” said Arya.
The battle in Millenium City
The Congress candidate from Gurugram, Mohit Grover emerged as the runner-up in the 2019 assembly election, which he contested as an Independent. He lost the seat by 33,000 votes to BJP’s Sudhir Singla.
Political analysts suggested that with a Punjabi face, Congress is trying to galvanise the Punjabi population, which accounts for over 5 percent of the voter base in the Millennium City.
“Last time, Grover contested his first election. As an Independent, he secured over 50,000 votes. Gurugram has a huge chunk of Punjabi votes — over 80,000. Other communities account for below 50,000 votes. That’s why Congress has relied on Grover this time,” said analyst Anil Arya.
Gurugram has been a Congress bastion from 1997 till 2005. During this period, Punjabi leader Dharambir Gaba held the seat for five years between 1982 and 2005.
However, Gaba faced defeat in the 2009 and 2014 elections. With Grover its candidate now, Congress is trying to repeat the Gaba effect in Gurugram.
BJP, for the first time, has fielded a Brahmin candidate from Gurugram. Former BJP member Naveen Goyal had been claiming the BJP ticket and is now fighting as an Independent.
“Brahmins are with Mukesh Sharma. Sharma had been asking for a ticket since 2014 and had then contested as an Independent. But Baniya votes are with Naveen Goyal,” said Arya. “While Grover has the Punjabi and Jat votes, SC votes are by default with the Congress. There are nearly 10,000 Muslim votes, which are also with Congress.”
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)