English Script: Mayank Chawla
Video Editor: Sandeep Suman
Ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Elections, the Congress Party has nominated Pankhuri Pathak as its candidate from the ‘VVIP constituency’ of Noida. Pathak is contesting against BJP’s Pankaj Singh, son of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
During her campaign, The Quint questioned Pankhuri Pathak about the issues, she is contesting on, and the challenges faced by her while competing from a constituency, which has a huge vote base for the saffron party.
How are you planning to win elections in a BJP dominated area?
The BJP claims that winning from Noida is a cakewalk for them. However, in a democracy, such arrogance is not right. No area belongs to a specific person or a party.
How will you attempt to bridge the gap between social media and grassroots politics?
It wouldn’t be difficult for me as I have raised similar issues on social media that are connected to grass-root Politics. For instance, very few people are aware that a place exists in Noida where there is currently no supply of electricity or water. We forced the sitting MLA to work for the people here and to provide electricity and water. He tweeted that he would do so, but no electricity or water has yet arrived.
What strategy have you devised to counter Rajnath Singh’s son, Pankaj Singh?
Unlike Pankaj Ji, I am a resident of this area and am well aware of its issues. My husband spent 10 days in jail while supporting the farmers. It’s a golden opportunity for me to contest from this area.
Is Congress eyeing Brahmin and Yadav voters?
We are educated people; we should not engage in caste-based politics; if you are talking about caste, the matter shifts in my favour. We are contesting elections in the 21st century and should behave like educated people. We must root out casteism from politics in order to reform it.
According to you, what are some of the important issues of Noida?
Our biggest concern is the ownership of land, then there is the issue of freehold property rights and registry flats. Our second issue is that of basic facilities. There are areas bereft of supply of electricity and water. Thirdly, we need to work towards schools and colleges, healthcare for women and public transport.
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