Nukkad sabhas to doorstep meetings: Pearl follows in father’s footsteps, says ‘can’t let Pataudi be neglected’

Pataudi: Riding on her father's goodwill, Pearl Chaudhary is greeted by villagers as a familiar face, though they haven't met her before."She's her father's daughter," Ombir, an elderly farmer in Pala Soli village of Pataudi, said, moments after Pearl's convoy of SUVs and motorcyles went by.He waited till the sound of Haryanvi songs from the entourage faded into the distance and added: "We trust her to continue the work he started."Pearl (48), the daughter of former Congress MLA Bhupinder, is the party's candidate from Pataudi assembly seat in Gurgaon.She has been crisscrossing through villages in Pala Soli and Lokri, waving and bowing her head to villagers who know of her father. Other times, she holds nukkad sabhas — 70 by her contingent's count — and daily door-to-door campaigns."We cannot let Pataudi, a constituency that once gave Haryana its chief minister (Rao Birender Singh) in 1967, be neglected. It should be developed on par with Rohtak and Karnal. My father used to say, ‘I will take one-ninetieth portion of Haryana for the development of Pataudi…' I will do the same," she told a gathering in Pala Soli. The 48-year-old is a physics postgraduate from DU's Miranda House and a law graduate from the Faculty of Law.But politics was in her blood. "My father and granduncle (Shivalal), both former MLAs, instilled in me a strong sense of duty towards the people of Pataudi. Since 1993, I was active in student politics during my college days, and I have been involved in several Congress party units. Then too, I supported my father and stayed in touch with locals through thick and thin," she said.She brought up Pataudi's Civil Hospital, work for which began when her father was the MLA. "But now, the hospital lacks basic equipment like an ultrasound machine. Healthcare services have worsened in this area, especially for pregnant women. The so-called public-private partnerships have encouraged corruption here," she said.The Congress candidate, addressing another gathering in Lokri village later in the day, hit out at the BJP-led Haryana govt over property IDs and family IDs."These schemes have created more problems than they've solved. Governance should simplify lives, not add bureaucratic hurdles," she said, promising to roll them back if elected.It isn't just family legacy that Pearl is banking on. Her pitch is that of development in a constituency dwarfed by its well-to-do neighbours."There's no accountability, and basic infrastructure like sewer lines have not been laid while roads have been dug up for two years. Govt schools have deteriorated. Govt has done nothing to provide job opportunities for locals. Pataudi can't just be a warehouse for big companies. We need IT companies. We need real opportunities," Pearl told TOI.Her speech appears to have struck a chord.Ashok Kumar Jangra, a 45-year-old daily wage earner, said there was no senior secondary school for Lokri and surrounding areas."Students from 20 nearby villages don't have schools with higher classes. In the last 20 years, we were promised a hall for a village chaupal. But the hall was never built. Now, we use what was once a primary school as the chaupal," Jangra said. But victory is far from certain. Some in the constituency of 1.36 lakh voters told TOI they know little about Pearl."We have seen her father. But this is the first time she has come. We hope she delivers what she is promising," Jangra said.Pataudi, the only reserved constituency of the four assembly seats in Gurgaon, has just once elected a Congress candidate in almost four decades. The last Congress MLA here was Pearl's father Bhupinder, who won the seat in 2005. BJP and INLD have dominated this assembly seat in the past few elections.Pearl, an electoral debutante, is up against Bimla Chaudhary of BJP, a former MLA who won from the constituency in 2014. Backed by Union minister and Gurgaon MP Rao Inderjit Singh, Bimla was picked over sitting MLA Satyaprakash Jarawata.
Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India. Don't miss daily games like Crossword, Sudoku, and Mini Crossword.