Haryana Assembly polls: caste to play big role in Gurgaon

Sixteen candidates in the fray from the constituency

October 20, 2019 01:42 am | Updated 11:28 am IST - GURUGRAM

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de20 rathee

Contesting on the Aam Aadmi Party ticket from the Gurgaon Assembly constituency, Ranbir Singh Rathee holds up his 17-point manifesto highlighting the issues plaguing the area and the blueprint to resolve them: “Despite the district contributing the highest tax revenue to the exchequer, it lacks facilities such as government schools, colleges and hospitals and was ranked as one of the most polluted cities in the world. I vow to fight against the amendments to the Punjab Land Preservation Act, improve metro connectivity and ensure better water supply.”

Triangular fight

The municipal councillor is one of the 16 candidates, including six Independents, who are in the fray from the constituency for the upcoming Haryana elections on October 21. The AAP candidate claimed to be in a triangular contest with the BJP’s Sudhir Kumar and Independent candidate Mohit Grover.

Considered to be a safe seat for the BJP, the party denied the ticket to its sitting MLA Umesh Aggarwal and instead supported Mr. Kumar, who belongs to the Baniya community. Mr. Kumar’s father Sita Ram Singla was a Minister in the Haryana government in 1987.

Mr. Kumar faces stiff competition from Independent candidate Mohit Grover, who belongs to the dominant Punjabi community, which accounts for around 70,000 votes.

Congress’ Sukhbir Kataria, a Jat, had won from Gurgaon as an Independent in 2009 and cannot be written off as his community accounts for around 28,000 votes.

Swaraj India’s Sheilza Bhatia is the lone woman candidate from the Assembly and has been raising the issues of women’s safety, air pollution, waste management and infrastructure.

The party’s national president, Yogendra Yadav, had recently conducted a road show in her support.

Major issues

Sanitation, drinking water, power and affordable health and education remain a concern for those living in the Old City, including Rajender Nagar, Rajiv Nagar and Sheetla Colony. Those residing in the newer parts of the city seek better connectivity and clean air.

“My key concerns are pollution and depleting green cover in Gurugram. There seems to be no intent to talk about these issues, leave alone tackling them. The encroachment of the Bio Diversity Park for building highways despite citizens resistance shows government apathy. Another issue is water conservation,” said Anshul Sharma, an Oakwood Estate resident.

Civil society members had released an 11-point citizens’ charter of demands for Badshahpur and Gurgaon Assembly constituencies in the run-up to the elections seeking polyclinics in each sector, increased use of renewable energy, improved public transport and increased police presence at metro stations.

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