Why Gurugram crawls? Voters ask political parties as campaigning for Assembly polls intensifies
Gurugram (PTI): The campaign for upcoming Assembly polls in Haryana has seen parties making varied promises but voters in Gurugram have a common grievance -- why does the traffic in the millennium city crawl?
Pitched as the "Singapore of India", the most elite region of NCR, Gurugram is one of Asia's largest IT and corporate hubs. The city might be offering employment to people from across the country who now call it home, but when it comes to civic amenities, life is getting increasingly difficult, voters say.
Intense waterlogging, damaged roads and serpentine traffic jams are the everyday woes faced by the people and they are now demanding assurance from candidates that their grievances will finally be addressed.
Posters of "No road, no vote", "Abki bar, no guddha sarkar", "Stuck in traffic, can't vote", and "Why Gurgaon crawls" are flashed by voters when the candidates go out in the city to seek votes.
"The city is in a mess but the traffic situation is worse. The only solution left is to never step out of the house. Even a few kilometres of distance takes over an hour and travelling to Delhi is like taking a flight to Dubai or Singapore," Sumegh Jaiswal, a resident of a multi-storey complex in Sector 82, told PTI.
Jaiswal's fellow residents protested with posters when candidates of both the BJP and the Congress visited the area this week.
"We are asking all candidates what is their plan to address the traffic issue. We don't need promises, we need a plan and then only we will vote," he said.
The city which is in proximity to Delhi airport also has residences of several VIPs. Swanky apartments, the cost of which runs into several crores of rupees, mark the entry of the cyber city from Delhi.
"Sometimes it takes less time in flight than it takes to reach the airport from Gurugram. There is no metro connectivity to the airport and going by road is a nightmare.
"And if it rains, God save us because it is like literally rowing a boat. Why should we vote for any party if nobody is bothered about these basics," said Trikha, an architect.
The traffic situation has also become a subject of blame game among political parties.
Ruling BJP's Rao Narbir Singh, a three-time Haryana minister who is contesting from Bashahdpur constituency which constitutes 70 per cent of Gurguram's electorate, admitted that the city is a "civic mess".
"I agree Gurgaon (old name of Gurugram) is a civic mess currently. We have the worst waterlogging, the worst roads and a traffic crisis. The city has turned into a garbage dump. The last five years not just brought the city to a standstill but reversed the pace of development," he told PTI in an interview.
The BJP and Dushyant Chautala-led Jannayak Janata Party formed an alliance in October 2019 which broke up in March 2024.
"I blame the coalition for it (the Gurugram's civic problems). We had a majority government from 2014 to 2019 and anybody can question the pace of development but things have gone downhill since 2019. It was our coalition with the JJP which is to be blamed.
"The civic infrastructure department was with the JJP and they didn't do anything. The people are disappointed that despite the BJP being at the helm of affairs, no work has been done," Singh said.
Congress' Vardhan Yadav who is contesting his debut election from the constituency accused the BJP of neglecting Gurugram.
"There are two national highways passing through the city and still the traffic on main roads as well as interior roads is unbelievable.
"Despite contributing a hefty sum to Haryana’s coffers, Gurgaon has been given a short shrift and that is what needs to change. The situation wasn't like this till Congress was at the helm in the state," he said.
Traffic authorities blame the increasing number of vehicles in the city.
"Every month at least 5000 new private cars get registered in Gurugram, besides this there are two-wheelers and commercial vehicles.
"We deploy teams at all major intersections and even during waterlogging teams are at the spot navigating the traffic, but there is a larger problem," a top traffic police official said, requesting anonymity.
Gurugram district has four assembly constituencies -- Gurgaon, Pataudi, Badhshahpur and Sohna -- with a total electorate of over 15 lakh. Badhshapur is the largest constituency in the state in terms of electorate.
The Haryana assembly polls are slated to be held on October 5 and the votes will be counted on October 8.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
