Polls done, some candidates get down to safai, of posters in Gurgaon | Gurgaon News

Gurgaon: Civic elections done, several candidates on Monday began a ‘safai’ job that came as a pleasant surprise – they did the rounds of their wards and took off posters and campaign material that had been put up ahead of MCG polls.
Candidates also employed people to remove party symbols and flags put up at roundabouts and streets. They acknowledged that since the election was organised at a time when the city is grappling with a cleanliness crisis, they made it a point to tidy up.
“Following through on my commitment made to the ward’s voters, I am now undertaking the removal of all election-related materials. This includes clearing away posters, banners and flags that were used during the campaign. Every candidate should do it so that our city looks clean, and the residents also want to see their vicinity clean,” said Pardeep Kumar Padam, an Independent candidate who is contesting from ward 4.
Rama Rani Rathee, a former councillor who is contesting as an Independent candidate from ward 23, said she had assigned her team to remove all campaign material, especially those put up near polling stations.
“We have a duty to ensure thorough cleaning of the area. We participate in elections to tackle community problems. City cleanliness remains a crucial concern. It would be contradictory to promise better sanitation in our campaign speeches while failing to demonstrate it in practice,” she said.
“In previous municipal elections, councillor candidates never took the initiative to remove their campaign materials.
However, during these elections, there is heightened awareness about the city’s ongoing waste management challenges, prompting candidates to undertake the responsibility of clearing posters on their own,” said Kuldeep Yadav, also former councillor who is contesting from ward 11 as a BJP candidate. Other candidates said the municipal corporation must take over the clean-up task.
“Electoral regulations mandate the removal of campaign materials and posters across the city while the model code of conduct remains active till the declaration of results. Our teams are continuously working across the city to remove campaign posters. Our responsibilities continue regardless of these temporary electoral guidelines,” said Dr Balpreet Singh, MCG additional commissioner.