IIT-IIM graduate is AAP’s mayoral candidate in Bareilly

LUCKNOW: A graduate of premier institutes such as IIT Roorkee and IIM Kolkata, Navneet Agarwal is Aam Aadmi Party’s mayoral candidate in Bareilly. With the declaration of his name, AAP became the first party in UP to announce a candidate for the mayoral elections scheduled for 14 municipal corporations.

AAP will declare its first list of candidates for the Lucknow Municipal Corporation on Monday, a day after it announced its first list of candidates in Bareilly. Among all the names, the most talked about was Agarwal’s. Riding on his clean image and education background, AAP is trying to tell the voters that it is committed to a corruption-free municipal corporation. This is important as municipal corporations are often viewed as epicentres of corruption.

“My candidature will send a message among voters that educated people can also enter politics and work for a cause,” Agarwal told HT over phone, when asked how he would fight with mainstream parties like the BJP, the BSP and the SP.

Listing out his priorities, he said: “Slashing house tax by half and ensuing clean drinking water to people will be on my priority list. Also, the sewage treatment plant is lying defunct. I will make sure that the plant starts functioning and solid waste is treated to manage garbage disposal effectively.”

“My primary aim will be to make the Bareilly municipal corporation corruption free and ensure that no one has to run from pillar to post to get their work done,” he added.

He also said that mainline political parties never gave opportunities to outsiders to enter politics, contest elections and make a difference.

Agarwal studied at Vishnu Inter College, Bareilly, and hails from a business family. Along with his elder brother, he runs a hotel, a hostel and a real estate business, and has the dealership of two luxury car brands. Dr IS Tomar (of SP) is the outgoing mayor of Bareilly.