Making my debut but no novice: Mriganka Singh

Mriganka Singh (58), daughter of seven-time MLA and now BJP MP from Kairana, Hukum Singh, is making her political debut from Kairana assembly seat. Excerpts from an interview with the MP daughter, who has done her MA-BEd and has been running a chain of schools in Ghaziabad:

On her prospects
It is true that I am making a political debut but I have always worked behind the scenes with my father. It has been part of the family system — members are equally involved and help out in their own ways. I am not a novice in politics.

On why BJP chose her
It must have been winnability... Considering the fact that the candidate who contested the 2014 byelections lost to an SP candidate (by 1,100 votes). A doctor’s son can be a doctor, an engineer’s son can be an engineer. Why can’t a politician’s daughter become a politician?

On Anil Chauhan — the BJP candidate who lost that election — being her relative
It is true that he is related to me (Chauhan is a nephew of Hukum Singh). (After a long pause) He is a distant relative.

On Chauhan’s prospects, now contesting on an RLD ticket from the same seat
At best he will be able to reduce BJP votes by a small number. It is the SP and its sitting MLA Nahed Hassan who will be my main opponent.

On whether her father orchestrated Chauhan’s defeat in 2014 when he lost
These are baseless allegations. Why would my father do this sort of a thing?

On the issues on which she will fight the elections
Development...and law and order plus education.