“Did you not expect me to be a candidate for the upcoming election,” asked Sneha Mohandoss with a laugh, addressing a small group of curious onlookers in Saidapet on Tuesday.
The 29-year-old founder of the NGO Foodbank India, who is the Makkal Needhi Maiam’s candidate for the Saidapet constituency, embarked on a door-to-door campaign at Jothiammal Nagar after she gave a short speech from a bright red autorickshaw retrofitted for her political campaign.
Accompanying her were a small group of MNM members, all of whom held placards with their party symbol and kept up a steady chant of slogans. A sizeable number of Telugu speaking people in the area meant that Ms. Mohandoss’ party members, fluent in the language, had to help her as she approached residents while canvassing for votes.
“Voting for change is something I constantly reiterate every time I speak to a resident in the constituency. I want to remind the people to give newcomers and youngsters like me a chance and emphasise on the need for change,” she said.
Interacting with residents there, she informed them about the right to recall process, which MNM has promised, wherein an MLA can be recalled if he/she do not carry out their responsibilities and fail to address concerns in the constituency. When an octogenarian resident of the area stopped to speak to her about drains overflowing there, Ms. Mohandoss encouraged her to vote for change and ensure that their basic concerns are addressed.
Voters there, like R. Bagyalakshmi and P. Koteeswari, hoped women candidates would address a host of concerns and bring about meaningful development.
“Many of us women here would like to form a self-help group or would also like to be given basic training in tailoring or embroidery. Job creation or helping us earn an income is overlooked by most elected representatives,” Ms. Bagyalakshmi said.
