‘Never felt like poll season, where has the excitement gone?’

Gurgaon: As women and men, young and old, awaited their turn outside polling booths, a range of subjects occupied their thoughts — including the weather, always a hot topic these days. Though it was nowhere near as hot as when the public voted in the Lok Sabha elections back in May, the heat was still overwhelming for some.
"It's already Oct but the weather feels like we are still in the middle of June, and the humidity is oppressive," confessed Sanjay Kataria, at a polling booth in Daulatabad."We came well-equipped with water bottles and umbrellas to protect ourselves from the scorching sun."
Meanwhile, those queuing up in the city's Maruti Vihar colony were discussing the changing nature of campaigning, bemoaning the lack of excitement that once used to mark elections. "Campaigns used to be very loud, but they have turned silent and dull over the years. No one came to campaign in our area – it never felt like an election season," said Siddhant Mongia.
But atmospheric conditions and an absent buzz apart, a gamut of issues – from the state of the infrastructure to the lack of municipal oversight – preoccupied the minds of voters, most of whom were unflattering about civic conditions. Garbage was a common bugbear. Suresh Sharma of New Palam Vihar was scathing in his assessment. "Gurgaon has transformed into a colossal garbage dump. We are grappling with the detrimental effects of air and water pollution," he argued. "The moment we venture outside our homes, it becomes an arduous task to navigate through the streets, as every area is inundated with garbage."
Others voiced their frustration over the prolonged neglect of key spots. "MG Road is supposed to be a prime area, yet it's been dug up for the last two years. Streetlights don't work. Even though the metro is nearby, the area is almost impossible to navigate due to poor maintenance," lamented T K Dhingra, a resident of Essel Tower.
While a few acknowledged that headway had been made on certain projects, they also expressed dissatisfaction at the pace of the progress. "Although it is slow, there is progress – given the political landscape, there's no clear alternative, but we want the momentum to continue," shared Dr Isha Sharma, echoing the thoughts of her fellow residents of Ardee City, which was taken over by the MCG in 2022.
Beyond city limits
Outside Gurgaon, Sunita Devi, a 40-year-old voter from Rewari, conveyed her concerns while waiting to cast her vote. "There are no teachers in many govt schools, and the quality of education is deteriorating. How will our children compete in the future if the education system remains so poor?" she asked.
Away from urban areas, there was discontent at the state of health infrastructure. "The nearest hospital doesn't even have proper doctors or medicines. People are forced to travel to bigger cities for basic treatment. It's shameful that in this day and age, we don't even have good healthcare," rued Rakesh Kumar, a 52-year-old farmer from Ateli, while also articulating his hopes that his vote will bring in a govt which will take action to resolve longstanding issues.
Shabnam, a voter in a polling station in Nuh, had little doubt about who would emerge the winner, and was confident the result would help raise the standard of living. "Aftab (Ahmed) is going to win this time too; he wants to work," she claimed. "However, since the Congress govt has not been in power, his development works for Nuh have not been approved by the BJP govt."
For some, it was less about the party than it was about the candidate. "I am opposed to caste-based politics. I am casting my vote for the overall development of the city," maintained Kavir Kakkar, at a polling booth in Ashok Vihar.