Wives, mothers of local leaders dominate BJP’s list

LUDHIANA: In the first list issued by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), 15 women candidates have been announced. Some women candidates are either wives or mothers of ex-councillors, while some were ex-councillors. Some male candidates have been given a chance this time, whose wives were earlier councillors. Party leaders claimed they had to give 50% seats to women candidates, but in the list, there is hardly any female candidate who does not have a political background.

Those declared as candidates included

Meenu Jain

(wife of Naval Jain, BJP leader), Pooja Rai (sister of dyeing industrialist Bobby Jindal), Sakshi Zulka (ex-councillor), Swaranjit Kaur (new face), Ramandip Kaur Kaka (ex-councillor), Manju Aggarwal (wife of ex-councillor Inder Aggarwal),

Prabhjot Kaur

(wife of ex-councillor

Amrik Singh Bhola

), Shikha Jain (new face), Renu Bansal (ex-councillor),

Ranjana Panchi

(daughter-in-law of Inderjit Panchi, senior leader and ex-councillor, BJP), Pammi Verma (daughter-in-law of Suresh Verma, senior BJP leader), Sunita Rani (ex-councillor), Rani (ex-councillor), Prem Sharma (mother of ex-deputy mayor RD Sharma), and Rupamdeep Kaur (wife of ex-councillor

Narinder Malhi

).

The district BJP general secretary Jatinder Mittal said the party had been giving a chance to women candidates earlier too, and in this list, not only family members of party leaders have been chosen, but also some new faces have been given a chance for the first time.

CONFIDENT OF WIN

Prem Sharma, mother of ex-deputy mayor RD Sharma: “I remained a councillor in 2007 as well, so it is not a new thing for me. I will work with full dedication even this time, if people give me a chance again.”

Manju Aggarwal, wife of ex-councillor Inder Aggarwal: “Though it is for the first time that I am contest elections, I am sure of registering a victory with a good margin, because my husband who remained ex-councillor had served people to a great extent.”

Roopamdeep Kaur, wife of ex-councillor Narinder Malhi: “I had contested the MC polls in 2007, and remained councillor until 2012. I am hoping to register a victory this time as well, so that I can serve the public once again.”