Campaigning for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) polls to be held on December 4 ended at 5.30 p.m. on Friday with political parties packing in multiple road-shows and rallies during the day to make a last-ditch attempt at seeking the support of voters. The BJP, which is trying to extend its 15-year rule of the (now unified) civic bodies, was challenged by AAP through its campaign asking voters for a chance to clean up Delhi.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal appealed to voters at a Town Hall on Friday to give one chance to AAP to clean the “corruption-infested MCD ” and asked voters to opt for change and bring the MCD and the Delhi government under the control of the same party. “It has never happened in all these years that the same party has governed the Assembly and the municipality. Let’s try to form a single-party government this time. I will also be comfortable. I will call both, the MLA and the councillor, and ask why the work was not done,” Mr. Kejriwal said.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) campaign concluded with chants of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and bursting of firecrackers. Many Union Ministers, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, Uttar Pradesh Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya, and a score of national and State level leaders sought votes for the party through a number of roadshows, bike rallies and public meetings.
Delhi unit president Adesh Gupta, who offered prayers at a temple before starting the day’s campaign, said that the choice before the people is between the works of the BJP and Delhi’s “Beharupia Party” which has cheated the people. “The people of Delhi have made up their minds to defeat the party which opened liquor shops in the streets of Delhi,” he said.
Union Minister Piyush Goyal, who held roadshows in various wards, including Pandav Nagar and Mandawali, said that Dehliites have decided to walk with the corruption-free and progressive leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“Arvind Kejriwal is seeking votes from the people of Delhi in the name of his government, so I appeal that on December 4, you should vote as much as possible and defeat the corrupt and non-performing Kejriwal government,” he said, asking BJP workers to rest only after getting the last possible vote cast on the polling day.
