Since 2002 Assembly polls, when it comes to Maninagar Assembly constituency, people used to talk about its high-profile candidate Narendra Modi till he resigned as MLA and went on to become Prime Minister of India in May 2014.
This time BJP resorted to a low-profile businessman Suresh Patel who also won by-election from Maninagar after Modi’s departure to Delhi. However, again the constituency came into limelight as the Opposition Congress gave ticket to an alumna from University of Westminster, London as well as Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Bangalore.
Out of the blue, 34-year-old Shweta’s name came into the list of candidates for Gujarat Assembly elections 2017 approved by All India Congress Committee (AICC) amid so many claimants. Even protests were staged by Congress workers on giving ticket to ‘parachute candidate’ over locals.
However, the glamorous Congress candidate considers herself as local saying that her father Narendra Brahmbhatt residing in Maninagar and also contested Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) elections in 2002.
In fact it was Shweta’s father who inspired her to enter into politics. Although she was always interested to make her mark in corporate world and to achieve this goal Shweta took Master’s degree in business administration from University of Westminster after completion of BBA from Ahmedabad. She also worked for a brief period as an investment banker with HSBC and Darashaw before joining IIM Bangalore to pursue a course in political leadership.
According to her when she was working with banking sector she applied for the course and got admission. “It was a tricky situation whether to carry on with the job or to take a course.
Finally decided to join IIM,” she says, adding that the course designed to create women leadership in Parliament and legislative Assemblies helped her to determine to jump in to active politics.
Later on Shweta got a prestigious UN Scholarship also.
In 2012 an offer came from a Congress leader to contest Assembly polls but she turned it down as she wanted to set an ice-crème plant in Ahmedabad district. “In the process of setting up business, I came to know that how difficult it is to do business in this country, especially for female. I went one Ministry to other to get loan for my venture.
If an educated woman like me would face such difficulty, imagine what would be happening to those who are semi-educated or uneducated,” she says.
In the meantime, she was approached by Congress leadership and finally decided to contest from Maninagar Assembly seat.
Hopeful of winning Shewta said that going by her educational background and one of the few female faces in the Assembly polls across the State she would be able to win. According to her of the total voters in Maninagar constituency, 75 per cent are consisting of women and electors less than 40 years age which would give her edge over BJP candidate.