Countdown to municipal elections begins

Last day of campaigning ends with roadshows, rallies and corner meetings before the 5.30 p.m. deadline

April 22, 2017 01:28 am | Updated 01:28 am IST - New Delhi

New Delhi, 21/04/2017 : Congress Supporters during the Last Day Campaigning for the MCD Polls at the Ward No 21, Jahangirpuri Area in New Delhi on April 21, 2017. Photo: Sushil Kumar Verma

New Delhi, 21/04/2017 : Congress Supporters during the Last Day Campaigning for the MCD Polls at the Ward No 21, Jahangirpuri Area in New Delhi on April 21, 2017. Photo: Sushil Kumar Verma

Campaigning for Sunday’s municipal elections in Delhi ended on Friday evening after a busy day for political parties, with everything from motorcycle rallies by national-level leaders to small corner meetings addressed by candidates.

First-timers for the municipal polls, the Aam Aadmi Party, the incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress, the principal Opposition, carried out a range of last-minute outreach programmes till the 5.30 p.m. deadline.

The AAP conducted over 30 public meetings and roadshows across the city. Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal undertook a roadshow in south Delhi’s Ambedkar Nagar and Kalkaji.

‘Garbage dump’

“The people of Delhi are smart. They will not be fooled by the BJP and the Congress’ eyewash. They have seen and experienced how the BJP has turned our city into a garbage dump and how their children have suffered from diseases like dengue and chikungunya,” Mr. Kejriwal said in Kalkaji.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia addressed voters in his constituency in east Delhi’s Patparganj.

Apart from Mr. Kejriwal and Mr. Sisodia, other senior AAP leaders, including Sanjay Singh and Kapil Mishra also addressed public meetings.

“Many people in Delhi were suffering due to lack of piped drinking water and skyrocketing electricity bills. After our government came to power, people got 20,000 litres of free water. Their power bills were also halved. Delhiites have seen firsthand how their lives have improved,” Mr. Mishra said at a public meeting in north-east Delhi’s Karawal Nagar.

For the BJP, several Union Ministers were among the big guns the party chose to brandish at roadshows and public meetings.

‘21 constituencies’

A party insider claimed the hectic campaigning was not only for the municipal elections but also for “byelections to 21 Assembly constituencies that could be vacated soon as the MLAs are facing disqualification”.

Union Health Minister J. P. Nadda joined a roadshow and addressed a public meeting, where he hailed the setting up of open air gyms by the South Delhi Municipal Corporation.

Union Ministers Vijay Goel and Harsh Vardhan campaigned among minorities and participated in a roadshow at Keshav Puram. North-west Delhi MP Udit Raj was part of a roadshow in Mangolpuri.

West Delhi MP Parvesh Verma campaigned in 20 wards of Najafgarh, while former Delhi BJP president Satish Upadhyay campaigned in Malviya Nagar.

South Delhi MP Ramesh Bidhuri and Union Minister of State for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Babul Supriyo campaigned in Tughlakabad village and Bengali Basti. Mr. Supriyo and Mr. Goel also campaigned at Ajmeri Gate, where they rode motorcycles. BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra addressed a meeting of e-rickshaw operators and drivers near Vishwavidyalaya metro station.

The Congress wrapped up campaigning on a more low-key note, with most events with senior leaders being held on Thursday night.

On Friday, Delhi Congress president Ajay Maken addressed several meetings at Vishwas Nagar, Narela, Bankner, Mandawali and Patparganj. Congress leader and MP Raj Babbar campaigned in Laxmi Nagar, Andrews Ganj, Abul Fazal Enclave, Anand Vihar and Ashok Nagar.

Public response

Speaking about the campaign events, Mr. Maken said the response to roadshows and public meetings was a clear indication that the party’s popularity was on the rise as people were dejected with the AAP and the BJP.

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