YEAREND INTERVIEW: Only a seasoned individual can run civic body: BJP Mayoral nominee Rekha Gupta

MOIN GHANI

New Delhi, Dec 30 (IANS) The BJP candidate for the post of Mayor in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Rekha Gupta, feels that she stands a better chance of heading the civic body, citing her three-term experience as a councillor.

During an exclusive conversation with IANS, Gupta said that compared to Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) Mayoral nominee Shelly Oberoi, she has spent more time in observing how things work in the civic body.

In the MCD elections held earlier this month, the AAP, which is in power in Delhi, bagged 134 out of the city's 250 wards, ending the BJP's 15-year dominance.

Asked about her strategy to claim the Mayoral chair, Gupta told IANS that she would like to appeal to the first-time councillors to support her.

"In Mayoral polls, mainly the councillors, and some MLAs and MPs exercise their franchise. Also, one needs to keep in mind that it won't be easy for a newly-elected councillor to run the corporation... And most of the AAP councillors are new who would be having their first-ever term in the civic body," she said.

Underlining her experience in the civic body, Gupta said: "To get things done properly right from day one in the corporation, you require a seasoned individual."

Asked how much it is crucial for an experienced pair of hands to take charge for the civic body, Gupta said a Mayor with lesser or negligible experience would only waste his/her time.

"...And many crucial working hours would be lost by the time he/she starts having a grasp of the things," she said.

"(Delhi Chief Minister) Arvind Kejriwal had said his party seeks Prime Minister Narendra Modi's support... So here is an offer for him. Take my support and let's function together as a team. Because, bringing betterment across all sectors in Delhi is everyone's objective," she said.

Stressing that the vote of every single councillor -- irrespective of party affiliation -- matters to her in the race to the Mayor's Chair, Gupta said: "Delhi is the heart of the country, and people residing here should live with happiness in their heart.

"Delhi should look beautiful. The city is getting congested. It should be clean, green and dust-free. Besides, I need to work towards simplification of things in the MCD so that people don't feel hassled," she added.

Gupta, who would be contesting for the Mayoral position against AAP's Shelly Oberoi, is a graduate, and has an image of being a "hardcore" BJP leader.

Her contender, Oberoi, is a former assistant professor of Delhi University.

The election for Delhi Mayor is scheduled to be held on January 6, 2023.

The last date of filing nominations was December 27.