Campaigning ends in Panchkula amid final push by parties

The last day of election campaigning saw MP Anurag Thakur slamming the Congress over ‘empty promises’, while Chander Mohan, the party nominee for Panchkula seat, claimed that 10 years of BJP ‘misrule’ in the state will come to an end on October 8, the day of election result. The Aam Aadmi Party, meanwhile, carried out a roadshow in the city as a show of strength.

Thakur paid obeisance at Mata Mansa Devi Temple on the first Navratra today. He said the Congress was making empty promises the way it did in Himachal Pradesh. The former Union Minister called the Congress anti-farmer.

He alleged, “The Congress has cheated voters in Himachal Pradesh by lying during elections. It gave 10 guarantees in HP and formed the government, but failed to fulfil even a single guarantee. The Congress government assured to buy cow dung from farmers at Rs 2 per kg and milk at Rs 100 per litre, but has neither bought a litre of milk nor cow dung so far.”

The Hamirpur MP said the Congress also assured people free electricity and water, but on the contrary made these expensive by imposing cess. He claimed that 23 lakh women of Himachal Pradesh were still waiting for Rs 1,500 per month assured by the Congress.

Thakur said the Congress government in Haryana had failed to implement the Swaminathan Committee report for farmers. “I ask Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and Bhupinder Singh Hooda that when they were in power in Haryana, why didn’t they implement the Swaminathan Committee report? Why didn’t they implement MSP guarantee despite being in power in the state for 10 years?” he asked.

Addressing a gathering of people and Congress workers here today, the Congress candidate and former Deputy CM Chander Mohan said the Panchkula Assembly was not developed in the past 10 years. He said the BJP failed to provide security to traders. “During the BJP rule, no city in Haryana was left where traders have not paid ransom out of fear. Once the Congress forms the government, traders will get a safe environment to do business,” he said.

Mohan said with the formation of Congress government, the 10-year ‘misrule’ of the BJP would come to an end.

He said the Congress had prepared many schemes for the youth, women and the elderly, and to implement its manifesto, a strong government was required to be elected in Haryana. He visited Sectors 4, 11, 20, 2, 23, and 25, Indira Colony and Rajiv Colony, MDC Sector 4, Jalauli village, Khatoli, Asarewali and Bishnoi Bhawan.

AAP held a mega roadshow in Panchkula city in favour of the party candidate Prem Garg. Former Punjab minister and Lok Sabha MP Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer was also present on the occasion along with party spokesperson Surendra Rathi.

A convoy of hundreds of vehicles was part of the roadshow. Rathi said this time, AAP would be the kingmaker while Garg would emerge winner in the Panchkula segment.

Meet Hayer said AAP reduced the household electricity bills of people to zero in Punjab as well. “Earlier, there used to be power cuts of eight hours in Delhi, but under (Arvind) Kejriwal’s government, residents are getting electricity 24 hours a day,” he added.

Lauding the AAP governments in Punjab and Delhi, he said people in the states get treated in government hospitals for free.

Special leave on Oct 5 for factory staff in Chandigarh

Chandigarh: The UT Administration has directed factories, shops and commercial establishments in the city to grant special casual leave to employees registered as voters in Haryana so as to enable them to exercise their franchise on October 5, the day of polling. Such employees are entitled to the benefit of a paid holiday extended under Section 135-B of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. TNS