Congress Lok Sabha candidate from Ghaziabad Dolly Sharma says she will ensure women security in this Uttar Pradesh city if elected to power. Her focus will also be on education, health and cleanliness.
"My priorities will be four 'S' -- Shiksha, Swasthya, Swachhata, and Suraksha. I will ensure Right To Education for every child. I will not allow dictatorship of the private schools and fix a cap on their fees.
"Cheap and easily available health services will be another priority. I will ensure people do not have to run from pillar to post for receiving proper medical care as and when required," she said.
In her poster, the party had mentioned that Ghaziabad despite adjoining the national capital lacks good schools, colleges and hospital facilities.
Sharma, is the youngest of the 12 candidates from this seat and one of the only two women nominees, the other being Divya Yogmaya Saraswati of Rastriya Bhartiya Jan Jan Party.
On safety issues faced by women, Sharma said she will ensure that women start feeling secure while walking down the city roads anytime of the day and her focus will be on law and order situation -- to bring it under control.
The 34-year-old entrepreneur also said she will ensure that the party's promised Minimum Income Guarantee scheme, Nyay, is implemented on the ground and people get Rs 72,000 per annum, as per the Congress' promise.
Sharma, who on several occasion is seen alongside Congress General Secretary for eastern Uttar Pradesh Priyanka Gandhi, feels its about time her party should get elected.
"Congress is the only party which serves and work for all. It works for the poor, women, farmers and people across the spectrum. The party caters to various issues ranging from unemployment and security for all," she said.
Attacking the Bharatiya Janata Party, she said the saffron party has "failed in every corner".
An MBA graduate, Sharma feels the BJP was not able to make people feel safe or carry out any development in the area.
Accusing the sitting MP, Union Minister and former Army General V.K. Singh, she said he was never available for the people.
"The MP was never available or approachable. He was always in Delhi. He never used to meet the people. The people of Ghaziabad want an MP and not Army General. One, who will stay connected to them, they don't care about his or her background. They vote for their MP -- the baggage of background and high and mighty attitude has to go," she said.
On being asked how different she will be, if elected, she said she was and will always be available to the people.
"The MP has to work with the people. How can we not stay connected with the people and not be aware of their issues. I am a Ghaziabad resident. I will continue to stay here and will be available to my people if voted.
"I have been raising my voice for these people for the last two years," she added.
The connection with the people gives her confidence and she believes she will be able to win the elections.
Sharma gives credit to her husband and family for being able to be in politics and devout her time for the people of her constituency.
Until 2017, she was busy running her cloth merchandising business. She made a surprise entry into politics that year when the Congress gave her the ticket for the mayoral election in Ghaziabad.
Although she lost that election, she pipped several veterans when she got the party ticket for the Ghaziabad Lok Sabha seat this time.
She said she wants to bring a change and will work towards that goal.
The contest here for the Lok Sabha polls is three-cornered with Aam Aadmi Party, Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party joining hands for SP's Suresh Bansal against BJP's Singh and Congress' Sharma.
In 2014, the SP, BSP and the AAP had separate candidates, when Singh won the election by a margin of 5,67,260 votes by securing 7,58,482 votes against Congress candidate Raj Babbar, who came second with 1,91,222 votes.
Ghaziabad went to polls on Thursday in the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections. The results will be declared on May 23.
(Nivedita Singh can be contacted at nivedita.singh@ians.in)
--IANS
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