Vadodara gangster’s sister joins Congress

Chawla, who is known to hold much influence in the Sindhi-dominated area of Warasiya, says that she turned to the Congress party.

Chawla, who is known to hold much influence in the Sindhi-dominated area of Warasiya, says that she turned to the Congress party, which has seen a dip in popularity across the country as her request to the BJP went unheard.

Notorious gangster Mukesh Harjani’s sister, Lakshmi Chawla, who is considered a heavyweight in the Sindhi-dominated Warasiya area of Vadodara, formally joined the Congress party in the city on Tuesday. Chawla, wearing a party sash, joined the Congress leaders to submit a memo to the Chief Minister through the Collector against the BJP-ruled VMC’s delimitation of election wards on the basis of the Census of 2011 and the displacement of Kalyannagar families. However, while Chawla is eyeing a ticket in the upcoming civic polls, her inclusion in the party has raised eyebrows.

“During the elections, I helped the BJP workers in our area as I share a good rapport with the people here and it helped the party, but the moment the elections were done, the party stopped responding to my requests. Our area has also been totally neglected by the BJP-ruled VMC. So, I decided to take the plunge,” Chawla told The Indian Express.

[related-post]

Story continues below this ad

Chawla does not conceal her intention to contest the October polls. “I am looking for a ticket for the election as I want to work for the people. Warasiya is totally neglected in terms of development and the members of the community urged me to get into politics to change the situation. I will speak with the party leaders after the formal induction ceremony,” she says.

Vadodara Congress president Narendra Ravat said, “Lakshmiji had expressed her desire to join the party and we were awaiting a clearance from the party leaders. Today, we enrolled her as a primary member and shortly, we will induct her into the party in a formal ceremony. She belongs to an influential family and has been actively involved in social work in her area. With an eye on the upcoming polls, she will be an asset to encourage women from the Sindhi community to align with the Congress party.” Ravat said the party was not perturbed by the fact that her brother, gangster Mukesh Harjani, is lodged in the Vadodara Central Jail for several criminal offences, including kidnapping, extortion and murder. Chawla’s father, Daulat Harjani, too, was arrested in July 2012, accused of helping his son in a contract killing in mid-2012 by paying shooters to buy a pistol. Daulat had passed away at the SSG hospital in 2013, while still an undertrial. Ravat said, “Lakshmi is not a gangster. If she is here to do good work, we will welcome her.”

Chawla had accompanied the party leaders to submit a memorandum to the Chief Minister through the Collector, demanding an immediate suspension of demolition of slums across the city, in view of the upcoming civic polls. The Congress party contended,

“Considering the fact that the delimitation of election wards is already done as per census data of 2011 and the process of correction of electoral roll as per National Electoral Rolls Purification Authentication and Programme (NERPAP) is already over, the demolitions must be immediately stopped. Similarly, the displaced families of Kalyannagar must be immediately rehabilitated.”

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram