It is not merely the glamour pouring on Chandigarh Lok Sabha with the presence of actresses Gul Panag and Kirron Kher as candidates, a range of swanky vehicles used by key contestants for campaign are adding to the glitter of electoral campaign across the city.
Sitting Congress MP Pawan Kumar Bansal is locked in a battle against three women - Kirron (BJP), Gul (Aam Aadmi Party) and Jannat Jahan (BSP) in Chandigarh.
While Bansal moves in a 'Pajero Sports', Kirron travels by an 'Innova' from dawn to dusk to reach out to voters. Jannat uses an 'Audi' and Gul travels by 'Scorpio'. Bansal says his 'Pajero' contains all the facilities that are needed in modern technology era these days.
Kirron's husband and actor Anupam Kher do have 'BMW' and 'Scorpio' but these are used in Mumbai where the couple stay. Santosh, the makeup man and spot boy of Kirron, always accompanies her in the 'Innova'.
"I canvass in an open 'Gypsy' also at a few places so as to reach out to the people," Kirron says. "My makeup kit and eatables are kept in my vehicle," Kirron says adding she wants to utilise every moment available to her during the long day of her canvassing.
Dimple-cheeked Gul, however, at times springs surprises by using state-owned buses, cycle and even a motorcyle to reach out to city residents. With tight schedule for campaigning, Gul gulps biscuits as a supplement to routine food during long hours of canvassing.
Chandigarh Lok Sabha seat has never been won by a woman so far. Bansal, a lawyer by profession, had remained an MP for four terms and is trying his luck again.
Chandigarh, the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana, with a literacy rate of 81.9 per cent, is going to polls on April 10. First-time voters in Chandigarh s electors list include 11,593 males and 6,577 females.
According to electoral data as per the final summary revision 2014 released by the Election Commission, Chandigarh has 18,170 electors aged between 18 and 19 years, in which male electors constitute 63.8 per cent and female 36.2 per cent.
The total number of voters in the city is pegged at 5,80,700. With 18,170 first-time voters in the city, political parties are trying hard to woo these electors.
The parties, including BJP, Congress and AAP, have been organising various programmes to reach out to first-time electors. Aiming to garner the support of youth and first-time voters, Chandigarh BJP has launched programmes namely Modi Cafeteria and Nayi Soch, Nayi Umeed, Nayi Rajneeti in college campuses in Chandigarh.
These two campaigns have been particularly launched to popularise BJP s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi among the youth. On the other hand, Congress and AAP have been organising debates and discussion programmes in college campuses to woo the youth and first-time voters.
During last Lok Sabha elections in 2009, out of over 5 lakh registered voters in the city, the slum colonies had around 1.6 lakh voters, city sectors had 2.8 lakh and villages around 80,000 voters.
In Chandigarh, the poll percentage in the year 2004 was 52.06 per cent. In 1998 and 1999, it was only 42.36 per cent and 46.99 per cent respectively. And, breaking the record of past 20 years, the voting percentage was recorded over 65.02 per cent in 2009.
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