HT interview: Kalka BJP candidate Shakti Rana Sharma promises amenities, jobs

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Four days after she joined the BJP, the party named Shakti Rani Sharma, 71, its Kalka candidate.
The first woman mayor of Ambala and wife of former Haryana minister Venod Sharma, she was inducted into the BJP at a rally in Jind in the presence of chief minister Nayab Singh Saini and state party president Mohan Lal Badoli on September 1.
She had contested from Kalka on the ticket of her husband’s Haryana Jan Chetna Party in 2014 and managed to get 7,661 votes (6.15% vote share). She is the mother of Rajya Sabha MP Kartikeya Sharma and her eldest son, Siddharth Vashisht, also known as Manu Sharma, was convicted in the infamous Jessica Lal murder case in Delhi in April 1999 and released in June 2020.
She is the chairperson of the Sidhartha Vashista Charitable Trust that provides vocational training to jail inmates. HT’s Shailee Dogra interacted with her on her priorities and plans for Kalka besides how she overcomes the outsider tag in the run-up to the October 5 election. Edited excerpts:
Q: Kalka has not seen much development and residents complain of lack of infrastructure. What are your priorities for the constituency?
Kalka is a backward (pichda) area in terms of development. People are struggling for basic amenities here. Water supply is a major issue. Water is supplied on alternate days, that too at a low pressure in summer. Ensuring people get regular water supply will be my priority.
Q: The ground-level BJP worker is not happy with the announcement of your candidature from Kalka. How will you tackle the unrest?
With my experience as a mayor, I can reach out to people and will take everyone along. BJP workers are the backbone of the party. I am sure that we all will work together without difference for the victory of the party.
Q: You are considered an outsider, what do you have to say?
I’m not an outsider. My family has been connected to Kalka. Many a time, people go out for work but that does not make them outsiders. In 2014, I had contested from Kalka and am well versed with the constituency. Our party had supported the BJP in 2014, 2019 and 2024. I believe in the ideology of the BJP so have joined it.
Q: Unemployment is a major issue. Residents are seeking the revival of HMT.
I will bring new industries to Kalka to generate jobs. Kalka has potential and the area is well connected. For the revival of the HMT unit in Pinjore, I will knock on any door be it the state or the Centre.
Q: Drugs are easily available in Kalka. How will you deal with the problem?
I’m aware of the extent of drug abuse in the constituency. My focus will be the eradication of drugs. I will work towards building and strengthening sports infrastructure. Channelising energy in sports will help keep youngsters away from drugs. I have been associated with games (she is president of the All India Women Cricket Association since 2015), so will works towards providing women and youth opportunities through sports.