Manisha Gypsy Sharma wife of Vicky Gypsy,Priyanka Basant daughter-in-law of Rajinder Singh Basant and wife of Kanwarpal Singh Basant,Gurmeet Kaur wife of Gurinderpal Singh Pappu. This is not an address list but the messages written on hundreds of posters and hoardings that have mushroomed all over the city,as the state heads for the municipal corporation and council elections. These women are set to contest civic elections,where one-third of the seats are reserved for women. To bag a ticket,all these candidates have to do is tag along the husbands name and his picture on the publicity material. And no one seems to be complaining. Manisha Gypsy Sharma,who is contesting as an Independent from the ward number 54,does not ask for votes as an individual candidate,her votes are sought for Manisha Gypsy Sharma wife of Vicky Sharma. Sitting Congress councillor from ward number 56,Amrit Varsha Rampal a lawyer is also seen along with the picture of her husband B K Rampal in the hoardings. Similarly,in the publicity material,SAD(B)s Gurmeet Kaur is known as the wife of Rajinder Singh Pappu. Others like Priyanka Basant a Congress candidate has mentioned the name and put up the photo of her father-in-law Rajinder Singh Basant on signboards. Evenher husband Kanwarpal Singh Basant can be found in the display. The list goes on. While Sawarnjit Singh shines on the poster of his wife Ravinder Kaur,who is contesting these elections as an Independent,deceased BJP leader and MP Lala Lajpat Rai finds place in the banners of his daughter-in-law Amita Rai (Pinki) contesting from ward 54. On the other hand,Sunny Bhalla is found eating up most of space on the posters of his wife Deepika Sunny Bhalla. Deepika,a commerce graduate who is also contesting from ward 54,said: Actually my husband has been working for this ward all these years. I was brought in just because this ward was reserved for women candidates. Though there is no doubt that I have been helping my husband all these years in his work and have even helped his mentor Congress MLA Bharat Bhushan Ashu,but it is my husband who is in the front. He has worked in the past and will continue to do so after I get elected. Gurmeet Kaur,a SAD(B) candidate,too has no issues to contest in such a manner. My husband Gurinderpal Singh Pappu would have got the ticket in case this ward had not been reserved for women. I got the ticket because he could not contest. People know his name,no one knows me. So,we have to use his name, she said. The voters,however,seem unimpressed. This kind of election is a farce. This is an insult to women and at the same time,it is making a fool of the voters. If the husband will work,let him contest. While world expects this kind of attitude from women living in villages,the ground reality is that educated,urban women are also doing the same, said Shefali Singla,a student.
