BJP names nominee for Gurugram mayor’s post

The municipal elections in Haryana will be held on March 2, with the counting of votes scheduled for March 12

Gurugram: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) found itself in an unexpected situation on Friday when it released a list of nine mayoral candidates for the upcoming municipal elections, only to withdraw it within minutes. Senior BJP leaders said that the list was incomplete and had not been signed by the party’s state president, leading to its withdrawal. The sudden development has left aspirants confused as they wait for an official confirmation to begin their campaigns.

Haryana’s Forest and Industries Minister Rao Narbir Singh with party workers. (HT PHOTO)

The municipal elections in Haryana will be held on March 2, with the counting of votes scheduled for March 12.

The polls will cover two municipal corporations in Gurugram district – the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) and the newly formed Municipal Corporation of Manesar (MCM) -- along with five other civic bodies across the state.

Meanwhile, the Congress on Friday finalised its mayoral candidates and 14 councillor nominees following a meeting in Delhi.

BJP’s selection process

The selection of BJP candidates followed an intense three-day brainstorming session by the party’s high-powered committee, which included Gurugram MP Rao Inderjit Singh and Haryana’s Forest and Industries Minister Rao Narbir Singh. People aware of the matter said that despite their in-party rivalry, both Inderjit and Narbir submitted separate lists of preferred candidates.

Confirming that the final list will be announced soon, Rao Narbir Singh said, “Our selection is purely based on merit. We have chosen candidates who have actively worked in their wards and built a strong local presence. I will personally support them in their campaigns to ensure victory.” He also highlighted that BJP’s recent victory in the Delhi assembly elections will have a strong influence on the party’s performance in Gurugram, reinforcing BJP’s dominance in Haryana.

The withdrawn BJP list had six women candidates, including Usha Priyadarshi from Gurugram, Parveen Joshi from Faridabad, Komal Saini from Panipat, Suman Bahmani from Yamunanagar, and Selja Sachdeva from Ambala. The list also included Renu Bala Gupta, the outgoing Karnal mayor and a close aide of Union power minister and former Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar.

Congress’ poll strategy

The Congress, on the other hand, is confident of putting up a strong performance in the elections, banking on public dissatisfaction with the current civic administration. Vardhan Yadav, a Congress leader from Badshahpur, confirmed that the party has finalised its list of candidates and will officially release it soon.

“We have finalised 14 candidates, including our mayoral nominees for Gurugram and Manesar. Seema Pahuja will contest from Gurugram, while Neeraj Yadav has been chosen for Manesar. We will release our list once the BJP formally announces theirs,” said Yadav.

Emphasising the party’s electoral strategy, he added, “We are fully prepared to challenge the BJP. The city’s residents are frustrated with the worsening civic conditions, and our candidates have been selected based on their ability to address these pressing issues.”