Anil Vij confident of win 7th time; Congress rebel eyes to end his streak

Ambala: It's late evening and the heat has abated, yet BJP veteran Anil Vij is still going hard, campaigning in the narrow lanes of the old Anaj Mandi area of his Ambala Cantt constituency, his white kurta drenched in sweat.

As another long day of campaigning neared its end, the 71-year-old is surrounded by several of his supporters as he passes through the busy commercial area.

"Nare ko na naam ko, vote padegi kaam ko (people will not vote for slogans… but for the development works)," his supporters shout.

Vij is one of the 11 candidates contesting from Ambala Cantt. The six-time legislator will have as main rivals Congress rebel Chitra Sarwara and Congress's Parvinder Pal Pari.

Vij, a BJP leader known not to mince words, is confident that he will sail through easily to victory.

"I am seeking votes on the basis of works done in the Ambala Cantt constituency," Vij told PTI as he took a short break while campaigning.

"Our slogan is 'kaam kiya hai, kaam karenge'. 'Kaam ki rajneeti aur baton ki rajneeti k beech election hai. (Our slogan is that we have done work and will do work in future too. This election is between politics of work and politics of mere talk. We have work to show, while others merely talk)," he says.

Vij, contesting for the seventh time from the constituency, said that the BJP will return to govern Haryana with a full majority.

The former Haryana minister recently sparked a controversy when he said he will stake claim for the chief minister's post if the party returns to power in Haryana. The BJP, however, scuttled his bid, saying Nayab Singh Saini will remain the chief minister.

Chitra Sarwara was last week suspended by the Congress for a period of six years for anti-party activities after she jumped into fray as an Independent.

Sarwara is daughter of former minister Nirmal Singh, who is contesting as Congress candidate from adjoining Ambala City constituency.

In the last Assembly polls too, Sarwara had contested from Ambala Cantonment as an Independent after being denied ticket by the Congress. She had lost the contest to Vij.

"I have been doing issue-based politics in the constituency for a long time. Last time also, I received good support from the people and this time I hope to win," she said.

She said there are many issues in the constituency related to sewage, garbage, roads, infrastructure, and flaws with some of the big projects.

"Development here is more cosmetic than real. The industry, which once flourished here, what is its condition today?" she asked. "Ambala is looking for a change," she said.

Sarwara is also often seen taking digs at Vij's moniker "Gabbar," as many of his supporters call him.

"So, I tell people to vote for Chitra, nahi toh 'Gabbar' aa jayega," she said.

Meanwhile, Vij listed an array of development projects which he said were started during his stewardship of the constituency, including a "grand martyrdom memorial dedicated to the heroes of 1857, the first war of Independence." "Ambala had slipped into a dark zone (for groundwater depletion). I ensured it got canal water, a new 'Anaj Mandi' came up, a science centre is coming up, we are building a bank square complex, fire brigade building and homoeopathic college," he said.

A park named after Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose came up three years ago and people from neighbouring areas come to see this park, he said.

Construction of the domestic airport is progressing rapidly and it will boost trade, Vij said.

"The Ambala-Saha road was four-lane. I got a ring road made in Ambala while alternative roads from Ambala via Shamli and another one from Ambala to Poanta Sahib are coming up," he added.

Polling for the 90-member Haryana Assembly will be held on October 5 and the votes counted on October 8.