Nainital: Roads wore a deserted look, shops were shut and emotions and passions ran high on Sunday as residents of Haldwani and Kathgodam queued up to cast their vote and choose the next mayor.Reena Mansera, a resident, said that she gave her daily yoga classes a miss on Sunday and instead decided to be among the first few to cast her ballot. “I reached the polling booth with my family early in the morning. This is an important election as it pertains to our town’s civic body which will address the problems that we face in our daily lives.”With the Congress fielding leader of opposition Indira Hridayesh’s son Sumit against BJP’s Jogendra Rautela, a former mayor, the battle for the mayoral post is being seen as an intense oneWhile most local residents said that it is always good to have a mayor from the ruling party in the form of Rautela, others were confident of Hridayesh’s clout in the area securing a win for her son.A young voter, requesting anonymity, said, “Indiraji has given the city many projects such as the international stadium and the inter-state bus terminal. If her son becomes the mayor, he, too, will do good work for the city residents. However, if Rautela wins, he could easily get projects sanctioned from the state government. So it’s a win-win situation for us.”Political commentator Dinesh Pande said that the position of mayor is an acid test for both the parties. “Since Indira Hridayesh is a known name across party lines, a lot is expected from her son. The results could make or break Sumit’s career as a politician. On the other hand, Rautela is known for his clean image and his win will reinforce the state government’s zero tolerance against corruption plank.”

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