Panchkula, May 5
The Congress party on Tuesday intensified its campaign for the upcoming Municipal Corporation elections in Panchkula, with senior leaders addressing a public interaction and outlining key poll issues.
Party in charge, P.K. Hariprasad and Haryana Congress president Rao Narender led the public outreach, attended by party office-bearers and workers. Speaking to the media, the state in charge said the party had announced its candidates and was taking the elections seriously.
He alleged that Panchkula residents had been deprived of basic civic amenities, asserting that Congress candidate Sada Bhardwaj, who has served as Mahila Congress president, had consistently raised public issues and would benefit from voter support.
Targeting the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over women’s reservation, the Congress leader claimed the ruling party and the RSS had historically opposed women-centric policies. He reiterated that the Congress had backed the 33% women’s reservation bill, passed in the Rajya Sabha in 2010 under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi, but said it was not implemented thereafter.
The Congress also accused the BJP of widespread corruption, alleging irregularities across sectors. Referring to a reported ₹160 crore municipal corporation scam in Panchkula, the leader said a thorough probe would be conducted if Congress came to power in the civic body.
Commenting on recent electoral developments, he alleged voter suppression in West Bengal and Assam, claiming that large numbers of voters were excluded during delimitation exercises. He further accused authorities of misusing paramilitary forces to prevent voters from casting ballots, calling it a violation of democratic principles.
The BJP has not yet responded to the allegations.
