Congress gears up for municipal elections in Haryana-OxBig News Network

Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee president Udai Bhan.
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

Four months after the Congress lost the Haryana Assembly poll to the Bharatiya Janata Party in a close electoral contest, the party has geared up for yet another round of political slugfest contesting the municipal corporation wards and council president elections on its symbol for the first time.

The election to 33 municipal bodies, including eight municipal corporations, in Haryana will be held on March 2 and the counting of votes will take place on March 12. Besides the municipal corporations— Gurugram, Manesar, Faridabad, Hisar, Karnal, Panipat, Rohtak and Yamuna Nagar— four municipal councils and 21 municipal committees will also go to the polls.

Though the Congress has never contested the municipal polls on its symbol except the mayoral elections to three municipal corporations in December 2020, the party has decided to contest the election to the mayor and the councillors to the municipal corporations and the presidents to the municipal councils on its symbol this time around. “It has been decided at a party’s meeting in Delhi two days ago to contest the municipal corporation and council polls on the symbol. However, the party won’t contest the municipal committee polls,” HPCC president Udai Bhan told The Hindu. He, however, added that the decision in this regard could later change.

Gearing up for the polls, Congress has appointed district In-charges and district (rural and urban) convenors and co-convenors, besides setting up co-ordination committees for North and South Zone and a manifesto committee headed by MLA Geeta Bhukkal.

The party on Sunday (February 9, 2025) invited applications from the interested candidates till February 11, the day filling of nominations will begin for the elections. “If any Congressman wants to contest the election of ward councillor of municipal council, they can contact the concerned district committee constituted by the State Congress Committee for local body elections. The committee would decide on whether to contest the election on the party’s symbol or not,” said Mr. Udai Bhan.

The election to Rohtak municipal corporation would also be a battle of prestige for the Hoodas, who suffered a political setback after the party lost to the BJP in the assembly poll for the third time in a row in October last year.

Having partially blamed their defeat in the assembly poll on the Electronic Voting Machines, Congress has demanded that the election to the municipal bodies be held through ballot papers this time. “A party’s delegation would call upon the State Election Commissioner demanding that the municipal elections be held through ballot papers taking a cue from Uttrakhand,” said Mr. Udai Bhan. He said the delegation would also raise the issue of the SCs and OBCs not being given seats as per the reservation policy.

While the Mayor’s post for Gurugram and Yamuna Nagar municipal corporation is reserved for OBC-A category and Scheduled Caste woman respectively, the Faridabad Mayor post is reserved for a woman. The post for Rohtak municipal corporation Mayor is reserved for a Scheduled Caste.

As many as 45,26,227 voters, including 21,23,072 women, will exercise their franchise to elect members to 644 wards in the 33 municipal bodies.