Gurugram: Unlike 2014 General elections when Prime Minister Narender Modi, then a challenger, had done a massive public meeting in Gururgam, this time neither Modi nor Amit Shah did a rally in Gurugram. In fact, the only major leader from BJP who had done a major rally in Gurugram was Rajnath Singh. To fill the gap of major national leaders not campaigning in the Gurugram Lok Sabha constituency, the mantle was donned by the Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khatar. From October to May 10, Khattar held over 30 public meetings in and around Gurugram.
The Chief Minister realised from the very beginning that the weak areas of the party were in Mewat. The 65-year-old leader, therefore, held various public meetings in the area which is among the most backward districts in the country. Khattar did not shy away in conceding among the electorate of Mewat that while Gurugram was one of the richest cities in the country, the neighbouring Nuh was the most backward district in the country. In his campaigns, he blamed the lack of development, the discrimination of the previous governments in not ensuring equitable growth in Haryana. The CM highlighted that how a large number of investments by the Central and the state government helped develop national highways and expressways around the region.
The chief minister also assured the voters of Mewat that he will provide suggestions towards not making changes in the Central Motors act which had rendered most of the drivers of Nuh jobless. It is important to note that in the recently modified Central motors act those drivers who have not passed class 10th will not be given commercial licence.
Just before the starting of the hectic election campaigns, the CM also resolved the difference with the winning candidate Rao Inderjit Singh to make sure that the BJP unit functions as a team in winning over Gurugram. While Rao Inderjit consolidated over his voter bases in Rewari and Bawal, the CM tried to consolidate on the urban middle-class votes of Gurugram.