Sushma Kharkwal is the BJP's mayoral candidate in Lucknow- a seat that has been with the party for almost three decades. A party worker for 30 years, Kharkwal, who hails from Uttarakhand, is presently a member of the state’s executive committee. Lucknow has 5.2 lakh voters from Uttarakhand, and Kharkwal is also banking on the three lakh former servicemen, given that her husband has served in the armed forces.
Excerpts from an interview:
What has been your most important political learning?
Politics is the art of being persistent. It teaches you to not give up. The BJP is a party that does not consider caste or religion but judges a candidate on the basis of merit. Work-based evaluation is something that I have imbibed in my personal life as well.
What makes you a suitable candidate for the mayoral post?
It is difficult to say what the party saw in me. It would be immodest on my part to speculate. However, this is a party that has a tradition of giving workers an opportunity and it has stuck to its tradition.
One of the criticisms against you is that you are from Uttarakhand. How do you respond to that?
We are all natives of somewhere. I am an army man’s wife. How can you limit me to a particular region? We belong to the whole country.
Tell us about your family background.
I come from a non-political family. My father was a farmer. My brothers are in government jobs and my husband was in the army. One of my sons is an electrical engineer, and the other is a software engineer. Both are working in multinational companies.
What are your plans for Lucknow?
Lucknow is a city of culture known for its courtesy. This is the only city in the world that smiles. It is upon us to ensure that the city continues to smile.
How will you make the city safer?
After Yogi Adityanath took over as the state’s chief minister, there has been a massive improvement in law and order. This is a smart city, a safe city that is monitored 24x7 by cameras. In the coming days, such surveillance will be increased. Making public toilets for women is also one of my priorities. Anything that keeps Lucknow smiling shall be done.
What is your educational background?
I am a graduate in education and sociology.
What will be your priorities as mayor?
Taxes, work and garbage disposal shall be my three major priorities. There is a large section of the city’s population that does not pay taxes; They will be brought into the tax ambit. I plan to ensure that officers who are lax in discharging their duty shall be taken to task. Waste management is extremely important to me. I will not hesitate to pick up a broom if need be.
Are women in politics not merely for tokenism?
It is so in other parties. All posts will go to the same family in these parties. The BJP is a party with a difference. Half the tickets go to women. Instead of giving tickets to the male members of a leader’s family, women workers are preferred when it comes to ticket distribution.
Do you have a political ideal?
Instead of an individual, I consider my work my ideal. To do one’s work with honesty and dedication is the supreme ideal.
What is your message to Lucknowites?
There is no message, just an appeal. Let us work as a team to make this India’s cleanest city.
