Delhi: Father-daughter ensured civic bypolls

When the municipal bypoll results were declared on Tuesday, Hargyan Singh Gahlot was happy that his ward would finally see some development.

When the municipal bypoll results were declared on Tuesday, Hargyan Singh Gahlot was happy that his ward would finally see some development.

Hargyan Singh Gahlot with daughter Sanjana.

Gahlot, an advocate, and his 23-year-old daughter Sanjana made it possible for the municipal bypolls to take place. Miffed with the deteriorating condition of his ward Navada, Gahlot had filed a PIL in the Delhi high court in April 2015 demanding the court’s intervention to conduct polls.

“We used to set up legal awareness camps on weekly basis in a bid to help people. It was during one such camp that my daughter suggested that we should fight to improve the condition in our ward,” said Gahlot.

Before approaching the court, the duo filed an RTI application with the Election Commission of India asking why the ward didn’t have a councillor. “The Election Commission replied that our councillor had been elected as an MLA and there were 12 other wards that didn’t have councillors due to the same reason,” said Gahlot.

Gahlot approached the HC, which on January 29, 2016, told the Delhi State Election Commission to conduct elections to the 13 vacant municipal wards within three months.

Gahlot said: “We only wish that now that we have a councillor, the condition of all 13 wards will improve and there would be no hindrance in development.”

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