New Delhi: Haryana is one of the most urbanised states in India. The National Nighway Number 1 or the Grand Trunk Road which passes through the northern part of the state is dotted with booming towns and cities. It's proximity to the National Capital New Delhi has resulted in heavy urbanisation of Haryana.
Gurgaon and Faridabad, the two districts bordering Delhi, have been completely urbanised and they look more like a suburb of Delhi than parts of Haryana, which was predominantly an agrarian state till the liberalisation of the 1990s opened up Indian economy.
Gurgaon has emerged as an Information Technology hub in north India. It is home to some of the most famous IT companies and BPOs in India. The metro link to Delhi, state of the art international airport on its border and the rapid development etc have changed the profile of once a sleepy village.
Gurgaon has got a police commissionerate and has seen modernizsation of all kinds. Same is the case with its neighbouring city Faridabad. Even though, Faridabad is not as famous as Gurgaon, it has also emerged as a major hub of manufacturing industry and educational institutions.
However, when it comes to politics, both the cities look like any other city in Haryana. Even though, everybody who ruled the state from Chandigarh has exploited Gurgaon and Haryana for huge monetary gains for themselves and the state, not much work has been done when it comes to development.
Gurgaon, which is home to some Manhattan type glitzy towers, suffers from lack of better roads, street lights, sanitation, public toilets and poor law and order etc. The situation is almost same in Faridabad.
The ruling Congress in the state has lost both Gurgaon and Faridabad Lok Sabha seats in the recent Lok Sabha elections, raising hope among the BJP cadre that it can sweep these two areas in the coming Assembly elections.
The residnets of Gurgaon and Faridabad are now demanding that all political parties contesting the election must come up with a separate manifesto for them. A first time voter from Gurgaon said, "These two cities are almost like parts of Delhi. Haryana government must treat them like big cities, not like any other semi-urban area of the state. All governments have milked both of them in the last 25 years and filled their coffers. This is time to demand better amenities."
The residents of Faridabad also demand similar things.
Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda claims that under his leadership both the cities have been elevated to a different stature and have seen massive developments. The opposition parties allege that Hooda has milked these two cities for personal gains and has done nothing for the public. They argue that soaring real estate price has helped only a few powerful and deprived a large number of farmers of their precious agricultural land.
Gurgaon Lok Sabha constituency has fully developed urban assembly seats like Sohna, Badshahpur, Pataudi while Faridabad has assembly constituencies like Prithla, Hodal, Palwal, Tigaon etc.
In a small state like Haryana with just 90 members in the Assembly, these two major cities with more than 10 fully urbanised assembly seats can change the outcome and decide who rules the state.
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