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HT interview: ‘Want to ensure that Gurugram emerges as the cleanest city,’ says Naveen Goyal
Nearly 200 party functionaries quit with me when I was denied a ticket and decided to contest the election as an independent. A number of senior leaders across Haryana have also left the BJP due to poor ticket distribution and definitely this will impact the organisation both at the local level and the state level, said Goyal
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Gurugram: Independent candidate from the Gurgaon assembly constituency, Naveen Goyal, who was a senior BJP member till a few weeks ago, decided to quit the party on being denied a ticket and contest the election on his own. He remains confident that his social and political work spanning the last 13 years in the city, will fetch him strong support from the people and ensure his victory. Goyal spoke to Leena Dhankhar and Abhishek Behl and outlined his strategy for the assembly election on October 5. Edited excerpts:
What led to your decision to quit the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and contest the election as an independent?
I have been working for the party and the organisation for the last 13 years and the only objective is to work for the development of Gurugram in a holistic manner. I have worked for the party across the state and the decision of the party to give a ticket to a candidate, who has fought elections from Badshahpur twice and shifted only recently to Gurugram has hurt me a lot. Not only me, but several other senior leaders have not been able to accept it. If the ticket was given to a candidate who had worked locally, then it would have been a different matter. The ticket should have been given on merit. I decided to contest because the people of Gurugram want me to do that.
How do you plan to contest against well-established parties such as Congress and BJP, which have strong organisational set-up?
I have created a team of workers in the last 13 years and they are in the field reaching out to people in the civil society. We will have a team of booth level workers, and the election will be fought in a planned and strategic manner. We will have a strong social media outreach to tell the people what we stand for. The experience of working in the party organisation is already coming in handy.
What has been the impact of your resignation on the BJP locally since you quit with a number of functionaries?
Nearly 200 party functionaries quit with me when I was denied a ticket and decided to contest the election as an independent. A number of senior leaders across Haryana have also left the BJP due to poor ticket distribution and definitely this will impact the organisation both at the local level and the state level. With several key functionaries at the booth, mandal and district level deciding to leave, it will certainly impact the party fortunes in the upcoming elections.
What is your vision for Gurugram and how do you see the city in the next five years?
I want to ensure that Gurugram emerges as the cleanest city in the country and the problem of waste management is resolved on priority. The issues of damaged roads, poor sewage system and waterlogging will be resolved by taking help from experts in these fields. A holistic plan will be developed to ensure all round development of the city. We will ensure that metro lines are extended, bus stands are built, and hospitals come up in the city and don’t remain a promise on paper.
A large number of people attended the nomination rally. How will you ensure that this turnout transforms into actual votes on polling day?
The supporters who are pushing me to contest elections and the people of Gurugram showed great energy on nomination day and I am fully confident that these people will come out in full strength to vote for me as an independent candidate. I am contesting because the people of Gurugram want me to fight the election and it is a collective decision. I am not in the electoral contest to gain money or political power but only to serve the people of this city.
Gurugram has traditionally voted on community lines and depending on the candidate, the people vote. How do you plan to get votes from all sides as it will be crucial for electoral victory?
No doubt Gurugram has a number of dominant communities but in the last 14 years of my political career as a worker, party functionary and leader, I have always reached out to people of all communities. I have support from 36 communities and that is my strength. I have carried out political and social work without giving any thought to caste and community. During the nomination rally, people from all communities had supported me and I am confident they will vote for me without any such consideration.
What is your message for the people of the city?
I want the people to vote on the basis of merit and consider the work done by me in the last 13 years. The party may not have given tickets on merit but the people should vote only on performance and ensure that the best person wins.
