Beauty queen Ruby loseslustre in poll heat and dust

NEW DELHI: When Ruby Yadav goes for campaigning in the South Delhi parliamentary constituency, people hear less and stare more. Her blond hair attracts more attention than her promises. This 'Mrs India Queen' - she won the title in December last year - contesting as an independent, has managed to pull large crowds. Luckily for her, she says, there hasn't been any uncomfortable moment so far.

The campaigning, however, has taken its toll on the beauty queen. She has acquired a tan and dark circles under her eyes. "I used to be very fair till three months back but now all the time I'm in the sun." The hectic schedule and lack of sleep has also resulted in weight gain. "I lost 20 kg last year before the beauty pageant. But now I have gained," she says.

Not that she has lost her appeal. "All men in our JJ cluster will vote for her," says Sunita Devi, a resident of a slum cluster in Dwarka's Sector 7. The women, however, are more practical. "Every woman is beautiful in her own way. We will vote only for the candidate who can solve the water problem in the area," says Krishna.

Dressed in a sequined pink suit with marigold garlands around her neck, Ruby attracts immediate attention. People rush towards her and ask for her autograph. Women in the slum touch her hair and ask all kinds of questions. "They ask me if it is a wig or real. Young girls want to touch my hair and some have even asked me to give them the hair colour if I want their votes," she says.

Earlier associated with Anna Hazare's anti-corruption movement, Ruby claims she was offered a ticket by Trinamool Congress from the same constituency. TMC wanted her to be the woman face of the party. But after falling out with Anna and Mamata, she turned down the offer on Team Anna's advice. For this 34-year-old candidate, the slum voters are her core supporters. "I have been working in the social welfare sector for more than a decade. I joined the anti-corruption movement and since then I have been in touch with Annaji. I even joined TMC for sometime but later pulled out," said Yadav, who has an eight-year-old son.

Coming from Rajokri village, Mehrauli, where women barely step out, it was a big step for Yadav. Her husband, a dealer in luxury car spare parts, and her in-laws are by her side. "Even if I lose now, I'm sure I'll win in the next elections," she says. With shuttlecock as her election symbol, this candidate has surely brought glamour to the contest.

Meanwhile, TMC has fielded social worker Sreerupa Mitra Chaudhury, more famous (in Kolkata) as 'Nirbhaya Didi'. Chaudhury has been involved in the rehabilitation process of rape victims. "My aim is to provide toilets for women. One of the main reasons for sexual crimes against women is lack of toilets," she says. She, too, is visiting slums and promising women safety. She says she was heading the special task force on rape, trafficking and violence against women formed post-Nirbhaya.