In Ateli, a familiar name, but a new face

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Ateli: By noon, a crowd had gathered at the village entrance, on a day that would have typically been a slow Sunday morning in Kalwari. Men stood together, and women, their faces veiled by colourful ghunghats, huddled on another side. Children, donning orange caps and waving flags, scampered around.
This flurry of activity came to a standstill just as a convoy of SUVs rolled in, all the while blaring Haryanvi songs.From one of the cars emerged Aarti Rao, the daughter of Union minister and six-time MP Rao Inderjit Singh.
Aarti (45) was a national-level shooter who is now following in the footsteps of her father, attempting to carry forward his legacy with her foray into politics. Chosen to fight as a BJP candidate from Ateli, this small assembly constituency in Mahendergarh is her first electoral test.
Haryana goes to polls on Oct 5.
In Kalwari to campaign, Aarti was welcomed into the village of 2000-odd inhabitants by village elders who placed a pagdi on her head.
“Ram Ram,” she greeted everyone. “I am here today to seek your blessings. My grandfather Rao Bijender Singh was first elected to the state legislative assembly from Ateli in 1967 and later became the chief minister. My father Inderjit Rao was elected to the state legislative assembly from Jatusana-Kanina in 1977. Currently, Kanina is part of Ateli. We have a long-standing relationship with Ateli. I am here seeking the same for myself,” the BJP candidate told the crowd.
Just as she concluded her appeal, sarpanch Babu Lal, a Congress supporter, said out loud: “My village is the poorest in the area and we face many challenges. If you promise to listen to our problems and can resolve them, then we can support you.”
The crowd cheered, and an elderly woman, in her 70s, unexpectedly approached the guest. “Aarti, tu hi jeetegi, guarantee hai (Aarti, you will win. It’s guaranteed),” the woman said. A bunch of young women stuck around, intrigued by this sportsperson-turned-politician. “Didi, we want a college nearby. You can do this for us,” one of them said.
Raveena, another youngster from the group, told Aarti she was studying BA. “Our village will vote for you, but please ensure we get better road connectivity, buses and schools,” Raveena said.
Aarti listened in and promised to fulfil their demands.
Asked what her priorities would be if she was elected, Aarti told TOI she wanted to establish small sports arenas in all villages, ensure that colleges come up for girls, provide gas cylinders to homemakers and develop govt hospitals in the constituency.
“I have had a career in sports for 18 years and I have represented India in shooting. I want to develop infrastructure, whether it is for shooting or just for those who want to take up sports for the love of it. Today, this area is plagued by drug problems. So, I want the youth to be able to channelise their energy and earn money. I want to work for the girls in the area too. We have been working for the ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padho’ campaign, but going further, I want to ensure that they get better higher educational facilities in Ateli,” the 45-year-old said.
BJP’s manifesto for Haryana assembly polls, released last week, also aims to get women voters in its corner. The party has promised a monthly allowance of Rs 2,100 for women under the Laado Lakshmi scheme and two-wheelers for women students in rural colleges.
But Aarti’s electoral debut may not be a sweep despite her family’s legacy. Up against her is Congress’s Anita Yadav, a former MLA who won from Ateli in the 2009 elections but lost out to BJP candidates in 2014 and 2019.
Political analysts believe Aarti has an edge over her opponents because she is the daughter of the most prominent Ahirwal politician in the state, but Anita is likely to give her a tough fight. BJP also needs to factor in anti-incumbency after having governed the state for a decade.
Ateli, a south Haryana constituency with 52 villages, has around 2 lakh voters, of which 1.06 lakh are men and 96,417 are women.
Another concern that some villagers expressed on Sunday was Aarti’s lack of political experience. She was still an outsider, they said.
“Aarti Rao is fighting the elections in her father’s name. She was not active earlier in the constituency. We know that she will leave the area after the elections are over. This is the first time she is visiting this area,” said Gobind Lal, a farmer in Kalwari.
Sunita Devi, a homemaker, said Aarti Rao has never been involved in the community’s issues. “We need someone who understands our problems and is committed to solving them,” she said.
By 12.45pm, BJP’s convoy moved on to Dongra Jat village, some 3.5km ahead.
At a public meeting outside a temple, women and girls sat in the front row, looking up to Aarti. Some of them told their daughters to study like Aarti and talk in English as fluently as the BJP candidate could.
The last campaign stop of the day was Mundia Khera, where Aarti went to each woman in the group to seek blessings. There, she tried to shed the image of an “outsider”.
“I am not an outsider. I am a daughter of this area, like you. I will always listen to you. I am going to stay here for the next 20 years. I will open my offices here and work for the betterment of the area, especially for women. Gurgaon and Rewari have seen development over the years, but Mahendergarh did not get its share. I want to change that,” she told another gathering.
As her convoy departed, discussions continued among villagers. Some who support Congress said they were proud that she represented the Ahirwal community, but they were still uncertain.
“Aarti’s intentions seem good, but it is crucial for us to have a representative who understands the problems of our area. We are not sure that she has that insight yet,” said Taralata from Mundia Khera.
Ateli: By noon, a crowd had gathered at the village entrance, on a day that would have typically been a slow Sunday morning in Kalwari. Men stood together, and women, their faces veiled by colourful ghunghats, huddled on another side. Children, donning orange caps and waving flags, scampered around.
This flurry of activity came to a standstill just as a convoy of SUVs rolled in, all the while blaring Haryanvi songs.From one of the cars emerged Aarti Rao, the daughter of Union minister and six-time MP Rao Inderjit Singh.
Aarti (45) was a national-level shooter who is now following in the footsteps of her father, attempting to carry forward his legacy with her foray into politics. Chosen to fight as a BJP candidate from Ateli, this small assembly constituency in Mahendergarh is her first electoral test.
Haryana goes to polls on Oct 5.
In Kalwari to campaign, Aarti was welcomed into the village of 2000-odd inhabitants by village elders who placed a pagdi on her head.
“Ram Ram,” she greeted everyone. “I am here today to seek your blessings. My grandfather Rao Bijender Singh was first elected to the state legislative assembly from Ateli in 1967 and later became the chief minister. My father Inderjit Rao was elected to the state legislative assembly from Jatusana-Kanina in 1977. Currently, Kanina is part of Ateli. We have a long-standing relationship with Ateli. I am here seeking the same for myself,” the BJP candidate told the crowd.
Just as she concluded her appeal, sarpanch Babu Lal, a Congress supporter, said out loud: “My village is the poorest in the area and we face many challenges. If you promise to listen to our problems and can resolve them, then we can support you.”
The crowd cheered, and an elderly woman, in her 70s, unexpectedly approached the guest. “Aarti, tu hi jeetegi, guarantee hai (Aarti, you will win. It’s guaranteed),” the woman said. A bunch of young women stuck around, intrigued by this sportsperson-turned-politician. “Didi, we want a college nearby. You can do this for us,” one of them said.
Raveena, another youngster from the group, told Aarti she was studying BA. “Our village will vote for you, but please ensure we get better road connectivity, buses and schools,” Raveena said.
Aarti listened in and promised to fulfil their demands.
Asked what her priorities would be if she was elected, Aarti told TOI she wanted to establish small sports arenas in all villages, ensure that colleges come up for girls, provide gas cylinders to homemakers and develop govt hospitals in the constituency.
“I have had a career in sports for 18 years and I have represented India in shooting. I want to develop infrastructure, whether it is for shooting or just for those who want to take up sports for the love of it. Today, this area is plagued by drug problems. So, I want the youth to be able to channelise their energy and earn money. I want to work for the girls in the area too. We have been working for the ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padho’ campaign, but going further, I want to ensure that they get better higher educational facilities in Ateli,” the 45-year-old said.
BJP’s manifesto for Haryana assembly polls, released last week, also aims to get women voters in its corner. The party has promised a monthly allowance of Rs 2,100 for women under the Laado Lakshmi scheme and two-wheelers for women students in rural colleges.
But Aarti’s electoral debut may not be a sweep despite her family’s legacy. Up against her is Congress’s Anita Yadav, a former MLA who won from Ateli in the 2009 elections but lost out to BJP candidates in 2014 and 2019.
Political analysts believe Aarti has an edge over her opponents because she is the daughter of the most prominent Ahirwal politician in the state, but Anita is likely to give her a tough fight. BJP also needs to factor in anti-incumbency after having governed the state for a decade.
Ateli, a south Haryana constituency with 52 villages, has around 2 lakh voters, of which 1.06 lakh are men and 96,417 are women.
Another concern that some villagers expressed on Sunday was Aarti’s lack of political experience. She was still an outsider, they said.
“Aarti Rao is fighting the elections in her father’s name. She was not active earlier in the constituency. We know that she will leave the area after the elections are over. This is the first time she is visiting this area,” said Gobind Lal, a farmer in Kalwari.
Sunita Devi, a homemaker, said Aarti Rao has never been involved in the community’s issues. “We need someone who understands our problems and is committed to solving them,” she said.
By 12.45pm, BJP’s convoy moved on to Dongra Jat village, some 3.5km ahead.
At a public meeting outside a temple, women and girls sat in the front row, looking up to Aarti. Some of them told their daughters to study like Aarti and talk in English as fluently as the BJP candidate could.
The last campaign stop of the day was Mundia Khera, where Aarti went to each woman in the group to seek blessings. There, she tried to shed the image of an “outsider”.
“I am not an outsider. I am a daughter of this area, like you. I will always listen to you. I am going to stay here for the next 20 years. I will open my offices here and work for the betterment of the area, especially for women. Gurgaon and Rewari have seen development over the years, but Mahendergarh did not get its share. I want to change that,” she told another gathering.
As her convoy departed, discussions continued among villagers. Some who support Congress said they were proud that she represented the Ahirwal community, but they were still uncertain.
“Aarti’s intentions seem good, but it is crucial for us to have a representative who understands the problems of our area. We are not sure that she has that insight yet,” said Taralata from Mundia Khera.
Credit Source – https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/gurgaon/aarti-rao-the-new-face-of-politics-in-ateli-haryana/articleshow/113609677.cms

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