A campaign blitz featuring over 200 public meetings, rallies attended by star campaigners, a strong “triple-engine” pitch, extensive booth-level mobilisation and direct voter outreach paved the way for the BJP’s resounding victory in the Panchkula Municipal Corporation (MC) elections, political observers said.
Leading the campaign was Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini, whose aggressive electioneering, organisational management and grassroots outreach played a crucial role in the party’s dominant performance.
The public meetings of other parties, including Congress, AAP and INLD, couldn’t match the level of the ruling party, people said, noting that AAP’s number of meetings was below 50. AAP and INLD’s campaign was limited as they were contesting in only 13 and 7 wards, respectively. INLD did not even officially launch its manifesto for Panchkula, as admitted by its mayoral candidate Manoj Aggarwal.
The BJP managed to contain internal rebellion as CM Saini persuaded three BJP leaders, who had filed nominations as Independent candidates after being denied tickets, to withdraw from the contest. A strong contender (Independent) was also convinced to support the party before the elections.
According to BJP leaders, the party extensively campaigned in rural areas and colonies, interacting directly with residents, hearing civic grievances and promising speedy solutions. The BJP’s “triple engine government” slogan, referring to coordination between the Centre, Haryana government and the civic body, also found resonance among voters. During the campaign, CM repeatedly assured residents that adequate funds would be provided for Panchkula’s development works, which strengthened voter confidence, observers noted.
{{/usCountry}}According to BJP leaders, the party extensively campaigned in rural areas and colonies, interacting directly with residents, hearing civic grievances and promising speedy solutions. The BJP’s “triple engine government” slogan, referring to coordination between the Centre, Haryana government and the civic body, also found resonance among voters. During the campaign, CM repeatedly assured residents that adequate funds would be provided for Panchkula’s development works, which strengthened voter confidence, observers noted.
{{/usCountry}}Apart from Saini, star campaigners like Lok Sabha MP Manoj Tiwari and Haryanavi singer Masoom Sharma, along with candidates, campaigned for the party. Congress largely fielded Randeep Surjewala, former CM Bhupinder Hooda and a few others.
For the Congress, the defeat is being seen as a setback and it is likely to trigger introspection despite its recent assembly election success in Panchkula through Chander Mohan. The result indicates that while the Congress has electoral presence, it still lacks the organisational depth and booth-level machinery needed to match the BJP in local body polls.
For the AAP, the elections highlighted its limited grassroots presence in Haryana. The result underlines the challenge before the INLD to revive its support base.