Autorickshaw driver's wife becomes mayor of Rajkot

RAJKOT CIVIC BODY SCRIPTS EXEMPLARY INCLUSIVE STORY

Sunday, 16 June 2013 | Nayan Dave | Ahmedabad

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An example of representation to all strata of society is being set at Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s home turf. The Bharatiya Janata Party Councillors in Rajkot Municipal Corporation (RMC) have unanimously elected Raksha Boliya, wife of an autorickshaw driver, as the city’s new Mayor. She will take charge on Monday.

Interestingly, the Opposition Congress did not propose any name for the post. The selection process of the new Mayor thus became even easier during the RMC general board meeting.

For the BJP, Rajkot holds a special position since the period of Jansangh. After Delhi Municipal Corporation, Jansangh was able to win the local body election in the biggest city of Saurashtra region way back in 1975, said Raju Dhruv, spokesperson of Rajkot BJP. The importance of the victory was such that the entire national leadership of Jansangh headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee descended to Rajkot in the swearing-in ceremony of Arvind Maniar as Mayor of Rajkot. Since BJP’s formation in 1980, Rajkot has remained a BJP bastion as the party lost only once in the local body elections when it was out of power from 2000 to 2005.

Even BJP’s newly anointed chairman of election committee for the 2014 polls, Narendra Modi, had preferred to fight his life's first poll battle from Rajkot, and won with a thumping majority in the February 2002 Assembly by-election.

46-year-old Boliya's husband Raghu is an autorickshaw driver and an active member of the BJP for over the past two decades. Raksha, mother of two, is also active in the party for a decade.

In the last RMC election, the party had offered ticket to Raghu, but he refused the offer that made way for Raksha's candidature. The revised term for the Rajkot Mayor is two and half years and the post is reserved for the woman candidate.

"The new post given to my wife will not make much difference in my life. I am satisfied with whatever I earn through driving autorickshaw. Even if Raksha travels by a car with a beacon light, I would like to continue with my profession," said the proud husband.

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