Haryana: Vij, Khattar ‘will not break friendship’
Haryana: Two BJP stalwarts – Union minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Haryana cabinet minister Anil Vij – who have been in the news earlier also for their differences, surprised many on the occasion of Holi. Vij admitted that they sometimes had differences and said that these were not personal but related to issues. Khattar too did not make a big deal out of the whole issue and said that ‘kuch hota hai’ (something happens in family) and ‘apne toh apne hote hain’ (one’s own are those who are their own). After the Holi celebrations, Khattar shared a picture with Vij on his social media account and wrote that he will never break this friendship. Vij too responded to the post saying that he is a loyal friend and maintains friendship for life.
Gujjar’s dominance in Jagadhri
Yamunanagar: Despite losing the 2004 assembly elections, former Haryana minister Kanwar Pal Gujjar’s popularity is still intact. His influence was seen in the recently concluded municipal elections, in which he actively participated and which resulted in all BJP candidates winning in Jagadhri city. He visited all the colonies in the city and campaigned for the candidates fielded by the BJP. A political observer said that even though Gujjar may have lost the assembly elections in 2024 by a narrow margin to the Congress candidate, his popularity has only increased.
Congress workers elated in Karnal
Karnal: Despite facing defeat in the Karnal mayor election, the Congress can take solace from the fact that its candidate Manoj Wadhwa managed to secure 58,271 votes against the BJP’s Renu Bala Gupta (83,630 votes), given that several big leaders have quit the party in recent times. Despite being disappointed by the defeat, Congress workers see the vote counting as a sign of its continued presence in Karnal, where the party performed far better than in any other mayor election across Haryana. In several other cities, Congress candidates had to struggle a lot. The election results indicate that despite internal setbacks, the party still holds a substantial voter base in Karnal. Party leaders believe that this performance can serve as the foundation for future electoral battles in the city.
Panipat: After losing the 2024 assembly elections, the Congress failed to turn around its fortunes in the recently concluded civic polls. In the Panipat mayor election, BJP’s Komal Saini secured nearly four times the votes of Congress’ Savita Garg. Saini got a total of 1.62 lakh votes, while Garg got only 38,905 votes. After the results were announced, the Congress was badly trolled on social media groups, with many saying that the selfishness of senior leaders forced the party to surrender in the MC electoral fray. Now, the Congress needs an overhaul. Only young and dynamic leadership can bring about a change in the party, asserted a political analyst.
MP unhappy with Hisar ‘Aerodrome’
Hisar: Congress MP from Hisar Jai Prakash took a dig at the BJP government on the issue of license of Hisar Aerodrome and said that the government had claimed to set up an ‘international airport’, but it is for domestic flights. He claimed that even during the time of former Chief Minister Bhajan Lal, domestic flights used to operate from here, so there is nothing new in this.
