With the Haryana civic body election campaign at its peak, the ruling BJP has taken a commanding lead, launching an aggressive state-wide campaign that has left the opposition trailing far behind.
All top BJP leaders, including Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, Union Ministers Manohar Lal and Rao Inderjit, BJP state president Mohan Lal Badoli, along with the entire state cabinet, MPs, and MLAs, are actively holding public meetings, roadshows and corner meetings to woo voters.
Despite contesting on its party symbol, the Congress campaign appears sluggish. Senior party leaders, including Kumari Selja, Randeep Surjewala, and Birender Singh, were conspicuously absent at the launch of the party manifesto in Rohtak, where only former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) President Udai Bhan were present. This visible rift within the Congress ahead of the crucial city election has once again come to the fore.
Further reflecting its weak campaign, Congress has remained largely inactive on social media, with its official X (formerly Twitter) handle failing to post any significant updates. The Hooda faction appears to be focusing primarily on the Rohtak Municipal Corporation, while party leaders have shown minimal engagement in Panipat, Karnal, Yamunanagar and Ambala.
In contrast, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini has been traveling across the state, holding roadshows and addressing public meetings, even for BJP candidates contesting in smaller municipal committees. While campaigning for the BJP candidate for chairman of Radaur Municipal Committee, Saini launched a scathing attack on the Congress, branding it as a “tweet party.”
“No one listens to Congress leaders anymore, so they have no choice but to rely on tweets to stay relevant,” Saini quipped. Urging voters to wipe out the Congress, he declared, “We have to ensure Congress is out at zero.”
The BJP’s narrative that Congress has lost ground gained further weight with former Congress MLA Bishan Lal Saini recently switching sides. “Congress is no longer a formidable force in Haryana. The BJP has clearly emerged as the strongest party in the state,” he said while addressing a public meeting.
As the civic body elections approach, BJP’s well-oiled election machinery appears to have given it a distinct edge, while the Congress struggles with internal discord and an uncoordinated campaign. The elections will be held on March 2 for municipal corporations in Gurugram, Manesar, Faridabad, Karnal, Rohtak, Hisar, Sonepat, Ambala, and Yamunanagar. Panipat will go to the polls on March 9 and results for all nine corporations will be declared on March 12.
