The Congress candidate from Gautam Budh Nagar Lok Sabha constituency, 30-year-old Dr Arvind Singh is fighting the electoral battle alone as his family members have not come forward to canvass for him.

His rivals – Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Dr Mahesh Sharma and Bahujan Samaj Party-Samajwadi Party (BSP-SP) alliance’s candidate Satveer Nagar have their spouses and relatives actively canvassing for them on a daily basis.

Dr Arvind Singh is alone because his father, Jaiveer Singh, is a member of legislative council (MLC) from BJP in Aligarh. He has already issued a statement, saying he does not have any relation with his son because he does not believe in the political philosophy that his family does. Singh’s father, mother and brother are not canvassing for him because they have differences with him over his marriage.

Soon after he got a Congress ticket, Singh’s father, in a public statement, said, “I have faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s public welfare schemes and am inspired with the way the PM is working for the poor. Meanwhile, Arvind Singh has parted ways with us due to his different political beliefs in life since he got married in 2017.”

Singh, however, is not bothered at all. “I am happy because people in this constituency are with me. And I am getting good support from people during canvassing,” Singh said, while refusing to speak further.

Congress workers, too, feel Arvind Singh’s wife and other relatives should have been on their side to give a strong fight to rivals. “His wife is active behind the scenes but she chooses to stay away from the media glare. She is in touch with workers and supporters and is organising campaign through social media. Our candidate is getting good support from public during canvassing,” said Alok Singh, spokesperson, Congress’s district unit.

Meanwhile, BJP candidate Dr Mahesh Sharma’s wife Uma Sharma, son Kartik, brother Naresh Sharma and other relatives are actively canvassing for him. “All of his relatives have formed separate teams and are canvassing aggressively in all areas — be it sectors or villages. Covering over 900 villages across the constituency is not easy for Dr Sharma alone. Therefore, the family members have stepped in to connect with as many voters as we can,” said Manish Sharma, media in-charge, Gautam Budh Nagar unit of the BJP.

Similarly, BSP-SP alliance candidate Satveer Nagar’s wife Krishna Nagar and other relatives are actively campaigning for him in villages and sectors. “Krishna Nagar has her own team of women workers and they are canvassing door-to-door on foot. The team has covered majority of Dadri villages and now canvassing Noida villages. We are also canvassing in sectors along with villages. Our target is to connect all supporters,” said Raghwendra Dube, spokesperson, Samajwadi Party.

First Published: Apr 04, 2019 17:11 IST