BJP office abuzz with activity, Cong’s wears a deserted look

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, December 30

While the BJP mayoral candidate Kulbhushan Goyal’s office in Sector 8 here was buzzing with activity, Congress nominee Upinder Kaur Ahluwalia’s office in Sector 14 wore a deserted look.

The buzz at the BJP office began around 2.30 pm this afternoon after it seemed impractical for the Congress mayoral candidate Ahluwalia to cover up the steady lead gained by Goyal until the completion of the 32 rounds of counting.

As the news of Goyal’s victory reached the party office a little after 3 pm, limited party workers present there cheered for him. They had then set off for arranging sweets and flowers. As a half an hour passed, the campaign office witnessed an exponential rise in the number of workers. The ‘karyakartas’ (workers) broke into celebrations – dancing to the dhol beats, celebratory sloganeering, clicking selfies and flaunting victory signs.

Then came the big moment when newly elected Panchkula Mayor Kulbhushan Goyal, Haryana Speaker and local MLA Gian Chand Gupta and party’s election in-charge and former Haryana Minister Captain Abhimanyu turned up at the election office after parading in an open-top jeep from the counting centre in Sector 14.

Hundreds of party leaders and workers gave a rousing welcome to the party leaders as they showed victory signs and waved at them.

The morning scene

Around 10.30 am, a few Congress workers were seen sipping tea at their campaign office in Sector 14 as they watch the live telecast of the election results on their respective smart phones. When counting round seven results were declared, showing BJP’s Goyal taking early leads, they were still hopeful about votes from colonies and villages.

The BJP election office was no different during the morning hours. It was only clarity on Goyal’s victory in the last rounds of counting that established a contrast between the scenario at the BJP and Congress election offices.