‘Bahubali’s’ daughter seeks to retain hold over Raebareli

Raebareli: Her father had been opposing the Congress but she admired Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and thus decided to join the Congress.

When mafia don-turned-politician Akhilesh Singh fell ill and decided to hand over the baton to his daughter, Aditi Singh, 28, slip into the shoes quite comfortably and is now the Congress candidate from Rae bareli, the constituency held by her MLA father for five terms. Rae bareli will vote on February 23 in the ongoing elections.

“When I told my father I wanted to join Congress, he did not oppose. He told me if I am joining politics, I will have to make my own decisions,” she says.

About her father, she says, “He is not a mafia don or ‘bahubali’. These are tags given by the media. Yes, he is strong and helps the people. If any official tries to misbehave with the local people, he stands up for them. Had he been a criminal, do you think people would have elected him with huge margins for five consecutive terms which adds up to almost 25 years?”

Aditi has been away from Rae bareli for several years. She was sent to boarding schools in Mussoorie and then Delhi and then went to the USA where she did her masters in management from Duke University. She decided to come back to Rae bareli when her father fell ill.

“My father and mother belong to Rae bareli and have been staying here. When I came back, I decided to make up for the lost time. I have been meeting people in every village of the constituency in the past two years to understand their problems. Even as a child, I was fascinated by politics because I saw my father meeting people and helping them. He is my role model,” she says.

Aditi appears to have done her homework well before taking a plunge into politics. She knows the problems facing the different villages in her constituency. “Just because my father did not belong to the ruling party in the state, the government took no interest in the development of Rae bareli,” she says with a slight hint of American accent.

But when she is interacting with the local people, she effortlessly switches to the local dialect. “I have learnt this during the past two years and now I am comfortable with the dialect,” she admits.

She wears saris and jeans with equal ease and is not apologetic about her expensive shades and bags. “I don’t make an effort to project an image. I am what I am and that is what people like,” she says.

Aditi is said to be close to Priyanka Gandhi and this makes her popular with the local Congress people. She confesses that “It was because of Priyanka that I joined the congress. I was in touch with her for the past several months and am genuinely concerned about the people.”

Aditi says, “I am reaping the harvest of my father’s goodwill. People treat me as their daughter or sister and the love I am getting is phenomenal.”

Wherever she goes, she is instantly recognised as ‘vidhayak ji ki bitiya’ and is welcomed with open arms.

Her father’s style was more traditional and less organised. “Times are changing and so am I,” she says with a smile as she leaves for her campaign.

She rushes through the constituency, making a stopover at every village, every market and even at tea shops.

Aditi’s office, however, reflects that her brand of politics will be different from that of her father. A white board on the wall lists her schedule for the week. A glass-paneled cupboard has a neat stack of files, labeled with issues that need attention. There is also a stack of papers she rushes through before leaving for campaigning.