Chandigarh, December 8: Reaching out to the masses is the mantra for hundreds of Congress workers busy campaigning for the forthcoming Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh (MCC) elections.
With days to go for the polls, Congress candidates and campaigners are going all out to strengthen party prospects. With the confidence levels being high, the party leaders and workers are maintaining gruelling schedules to meet up as many people as possible within and outside of their respective wards.
Rigourous campaigning, rallies, door-to-door canvassing, meetings, public gatherings are the order of the day for Cong men and women who are giving their all to meet each of their ward residents so as to ensure that their problems are suitably addressed and resolved. The overwhelming mass support from across the wards has already set the tempo for an imminent landslide victory for the Congress.
Not surprisingly, Mukesh Bassi, Congress candidate from Ward Number 17, is a busy man these days. After nukkar meetings in Sector 18 & 19, he went door-to-door in Sector 21-A. Later in the evening, he attended several meetings with party workers. “Twenty-four hours in a day are too less for us,” he said summing up the situation.
Gurbax Rawat from Ward Number 9, too, is keeping up a hectic campaigning schedule. She held a meeting at Sector 40-C which was followed by door-to-door canvassing across Sectors 38-B and 40-B. Rawat was accompanied by local Congress leaders Data Ram and Madan Lal Negi. Development and basic amenities are high on Rawat’s agenda.
While the rest of the wards echoed with election din, Ward Numbers 15, 19, 20 and 25, too, reverberated with robust calls of Congress slogans.Ward Number 15 candidate Chander Mukhi Sharma focused on door-to-door canvassing in Sectors 44-D, 35-D and 34 and also held nukkar meetings in Sector 34. Dharamveer from Ward Number 19 went door-to-door in Police Lines, Bapu Dham Colony and Grain market in Sector 26. He also held nukkar meetings in Bapu Dham. Dharamveer was accompanied by party leaders Kishan Pradhan, Rano Devi, Dawood, Neta Ji and Arun Madrasi.
In Ward Number 20, Congress candidate Satish Kainth went to Sanjay Colony as well as Colony Number 4 for door-to-door canvassing. He also conducted meetings at Industrial Area I and Housing Board Colony, Sector 29, along with his wife Jaswant Kainth, Mohammad Dawood, Chhabu Yadav, Ravinder Tyagi, Ram Awadh Yadav and others. Kainth’s main agenda is to ensure that the long-pending rehabilitation project of Colony Number 4 is completed in time.
Chitranjan Chanchal from Ward Number 25 remained busy with meetings throughout the day. He conducted several meetings across his ward, including those at Samadhi Gate Mohalla, Dera Sahib, Mari Wala Town. He was accompanied by party workers Pawan Budhiraja, Saurabh Acharya, Malkiat Singh, Rinku Bhalla, Sanjay Bhajni, Navjeet Kaushik, Dutta Ram Saini and Madan Lal Acharya among others.
In Ward Number 14, Kashmiri Devi Rana met her ward residents and interacted with them on the day-to-day problems being faced by them. She went to Kumhar Colony, Gol Gappa Mohalla and Sector 45-A. “The Muslim Community has assured its full support to us, which is very heartening,” said a beaming Kashmiri Devi.
Rajesh Sharma from Ward Number 8 canvassed door-to-door in Sector 38 West, held two public meetings in Sectors 37-C & 38-D. He was accompanied by Dev Raj, D.D. Jindal, Krishan Lal Gujrati, Sohan Lal Sharma, Ram Lal Sharma, Shanti and Kewal.
In Ward Number 13, H.C. Kalyan presided over a meeting at Labour Chowk. He also held two meetings with Congress workers at Colony Number 5 and Jail Road. He also went door-to-door in Colony Number 5. Kalyan stressed on the need for basic amenities, pukka houses, Safai Kendra, cleanliness and sanitation, community centre and a dispensary in his ward and assured the provision of the same.
Sheila Devi also campaigned rigorously across her Ward Number 12. She convened two meetings at Kajheri and went door-to-door in Sector 43 market and New Light Colony along with Madhu Bansal, Rakesh and sarpanch Anand Singh.
The senior citizens of Ward Number 22 got an opportunity to meet their ward candidate Jatinder Bhatia and his wife Neelam Bhatia in the green belt of the area. Neelam Bhatia later went from door-to-door in Sangam Kendriya Vihar, Sector 48 and Army Welfare Society in Sector 47 while Jatinder Bhatia conducted door-to-door canvassing across Sector 47-A & B. The Bhatia couple later held a rally in Industrial Area Phase II.
Jasbir Singh Bunty also remained busy with door-to-door campaigning activity in his Ward Number 10. He went to MIG Flats, local markets and several senior Congress leaders accompanied him.
Ward Number 21 candidate Indu Singla went door-to-door in Sector 46. She also visited the local Gurdwara to pay obeisance and seek the Almighty’s blessings. The local market association of Sector 32 assured unconditional support to Singla in the forthcoming MCC elections.
H.S. Lucky and Neeru of Ward Numbers 16 and 7 respectively stressed the need for development across their respective wards during their door-to-door canvassing drive.
While Neeru visited Maloya and gave assurance to the residents that their demand for a community centre and Sampark Centre would be fulfilled at the earliest; Lucky went from door-to-door in Sector 33-A & 20-D and expressed the urgent need for a Safai Kender in the area. He also assured the residents that a gamut of developmental activities and projects for the ward would be carried out. House Owner’s Association and Government Accommodation Association came forward to support Lucky. “The ruling BJP councillor Rajesh Gupta has failed miserably in keeping up the promises he had made before the elections. We will make sure that all the promises are fulfilled,” Lucky remarked.
In Mauli Jagran and Vikas Nagar of Ward Number 24, party candidate Kamlesh held meetings with the residents. She was accompanied by Santosh, Manpreet, Ram Awadh and B.N. Dass. “From my interaction with the area residents and survey of the ward, I have come to know that there is an urgent need for a dispensary, Safai Kendra and Jan Ghar. There is some water problem as well. Addressing these problems is now my priority,” said Kamlesh.
Darshan Kumjar Garg of Ward Number 11 held door-to-door campaigning across Sectors 56 and LVS Colony, Palsora. He stressed upon the need for a proper drainage system in the area and rehabilitation of the slum dwellers. He was accompanied by Congress workers Jangi Mufia, Joginder, Tarlochan Singh, Bhuwan, Ramesh Chandoria among others.
In Ward Numbers 3 and 23, party candidates Pradeep Chhabra and Anita Tiwari went from door-to-door, interacting with their respective ward residents and getting acquainted with their problems and lending a patient ear to their grievances. Chhabra covered Sector 22-C and Tiwari went to Hallo Majra and Ram Darbar.
Congress candidates from Ward Numbers 1, 2 and 5, too, maintained the momentum of their door-to-door canvassing activities.
Raj Bala Malik from Ward Number 1, accompanied by CA Anand and prominent lawyers, addressed the issues of the residents and assured them full cooperation in resolving these. “Monkey menace in the area needs immediate attention and the ward also requires block-wise representatives for smooth functioning,” Malik remarked.
Ward Number 2 candidate Anu Chatrath and Ward Number 5 candidate Subhash Chawla were greeted warmly by their respective ward residents during their door-to-door canvassing drives. Chatrath toured Sector 15-B and Chawla visited Dhanas Colony and Sector 25.
Poonam Sharma from Ward Number 4 attended a public function in Sector 24 along with Madhu Bansal. Members of the market committee also attended the meeting and assured unconditional support to Sharma in the forthcoming MCC polls.
Ward Number 18 candidate Devinder Singh Babla went from door-to-door in Sector 27-A & B and 30-A.