Seat reserved, neta ties knot, fields wife
KANPUR: In just three weeks, this corporator from Nawabganj ward No. 43 found a girl, got married and filed his wife’s nomination papers for the ward corporator’s seat.
Why the hurry? He wanted to contest from the seat again, but on October 13, it was declared reserved for women.
Wasting no time, Samajwadi Party corporator Raj Kishore Yadav spent the first two weeks finding a girl with the help of his family. He then got married on October 31 and filed his wife Neha’s papers for the corporator’s seat on November 4 – the last day for filing nominations.
Yadav is now campaign manager for Neha, who is also a Samajwadi Party candidate.
Newly-wed Neha, who initially struggled to explain her priorities if she won, has been making up for her flaws with door-to-door campaigning.
“She is in the fray because of the will of the people. They admired me for my work and wanted me to continue serving them,” says Yadav. “When the seat was reserved for women, I had to bring in my wife. She is educated and has adapted to the situation well,” he said.
“It was a pleasant surprise for me. I am enjoying all the hustle and bustle,” she says. “I genuinely want to serve the people. A politician can do a lot for society,” she said, with her husband giving most of the answers standing beside her.
When asked if Yadav expedited the process to retain the seat, he said, “The marriage was fixed a long time ago and solemnised after the polls were announced.”