Lucknow, 13 May: In a major win for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Sushma Kharkwal has been elected as the new Mayor of Lucknow. She defeated her closest rival, Vandana Mishra from the Samajwadi Party (SP), by a margin of 52,699 votes. The BJP also won most of the councillor seats, with many of its candidates securing a lead early on.
Kharkwal, who has been associated with the BJP for 35 years, credited her win to her struggle and hard work. She has served in various positions within the party, and her scooter was a regular sight at former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s rallies. Kharkwal’s husband retired from the army as a ‘Havildar’ and went on to work as an assistant marshal in the Legislative Assembly until last year.
Despite adversity and having to raise her two children alone, Kharkwal did not abandon politics. She said that the previous Prime Minister was a personal friend and mentor to her, and that his devotion for her was visible at rallies and meetings. Kharkwal’s elder son works for Philips as a senior executive, while her younger son is an engineer.
BJP’s Sushma Kharkwal received 1,16,205 votes. Vandana Mishra (SP) received 63,506 votes, Shaheen Banu (BSP) received 15,963 votes, Anju Bhatt (AAP) received 5,835, Sangeeta Jaiswal (INC) received 24,665 votes, and NOTA received 1,523 votes.
