‘My father contested mayoral elections: 20 years ago but lost…Today he will be happy to see me’

No new taxes, will streamline door-to-door waste collection
About his priorities for Chandigarh, Gupta said, “I would definitely like to streamline the door- to-door garbage collection in the city first. Many people complain that they don’t even know the time when vehicles come to lift the waste. In some areas, the vehicles don’t even reach. So that is one thing I really want to streamline.”

Gupta maintains that the parking too needs to be streamlined. “I will ensure that the automated parking with fastag system and proper smart facilities is implemented in Chandigarh. Our city is known across the world for the best facilities and we should improve as much as we can.”

Gupta wants to focus on the development of villages. “I have also come across the fact that villages are not seeing much development so one thing I really aim for is to ensure that our villages are brought on a par with our urban areas. The villages form part of Chandigarh, the City Beautiful,” he added.
Asked if he had any plans to impose new taxes in the city, Gupta gave a clear answer: ”Definitely not.”

Gupta and his wife have been associated with the BJP for decades now. They have a seven-year-old daughter and a two-year-old son.

Challenges ahead of Gupta Tough opposition: One of the biggest challenges that lies ahead of Gupta is tough opposition. With 14 councillors from the Aam Aadmi Party, six from the Congress and one from the SAD, he will be facing strong Opposition. Being a newcomer yet with a political background, it would be worth seeing how he will be managing and running the General House.

Equation with the officers: The AAP had last time told the previous mayor that she needs to set an example by taking decisions for the people and not that she was listening to everything that the officers said. Gupta’s equation with the officers of the civic body would also be a challenge.

No smart parking yet: Even as Chandigarh residents are being made to pay more, there are no smart parking facilities in the city yet. To ensure that the parking is streamlined is another challenge for him.

Opposition within own party: There are still many senior councillors who are holding a grudge against Gupta for being elected as the Mayor. They were not expecting his candidature as the Mayor since he was already the Deputy Mayor.