Sheilza Bhatia greeted by scepticism, surprise in old Gurgaon

Gurugram: With yellow stoles around their necks and stacks of pamphlets in their hands, team members of Swaraj India candidate Sheilza Bhatia whistled as they walked

Gurugram: With yellow stoles around their necks and stacks of pamphlets in their hands, team members of Swaraj India candidate Sheilza Bhatia whistled as they walked through the meandering lanes of Gurgaon Gaon in the old part of the city during the last leg of their election campaign on Friday.

HT Image

“A woman candidate is contesting from this seat after a long time. Please support her,” they told residents, while distributing pamphlets that outlined the party’s manifesto. Amid their chants of “Swaraj ki seeti abki baar”, Bhatia steps forward and greets people with folded hands. “Please come out to vote and give your aashirwad (blessings) to me. Give change a chance. We need your support,” she tells women in the 8 Biswa portion of the village.

Jumping into the electoral fray for the first time, Bhatia repeatedly tells people to vote against the whistle symbol on polling day. Curious onlookers, meanwhile, murmured about the “new face” in the area. “We are seeing her for the first time,” said 50-year-old Devi, who goes by her first name, and saw Bhatia and her team moving around.

Others who spoke to Bhatia said they couldn’t gather much about the candidate through the brief interaction. “She didn’t tell us what she’d do for us. How do we differentiate her from the many candidates that come here?” said Nirmala, another resident. Her neighbour Bimla was also sceptical about voting for a candidate she was not familiar with. “Those who live in the village never do anything for us. How can we then expect outsiders do change the state of affairs?” she said.

Scepticism aside, there are many who are pleasantly surprised by the presence of a woman candidate on the campaign trail. An educated urban woman is something the constituency could really benefit from, they said. “She is a woman like me, and will be able to understand the issues that concern us. Other parties have done nothing for women. We have no employment opportunities,” said Gayatri, a resident of 12 Biswa area of the village, who was fairly impressed by Bhatia and even raised slogans in support of her. “Sheilza tum sangharsh karo, hum tumhare saath hai,” she said aloud.

A few metres away from the 12 Biswa area, Bhatia halted by a tea shop and interacted with a group of men who stood there. Seeking their support, she said, “Give us a chance to work for you and we will not disappoint.” Om Vir, 52, among the participants, said he recognised the importance of well-educated candidates like her. Bhatia is the co-founder of a start-up company. “I liked how she spoke. She seems educated and experienced. There is no point in voting for barely literate candidates who don’t understand basic issues. It would be good if somebody like her comes to power,” he said.