Meet Rani Devi, the octogenarian set to contest UP Panchayat elections 2021: 81-year-old Rani Devi is determined to contest in the upcoming panchayat elections from Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur district to ensure "better facilities and development for her village." Devi, who hails from Rudrapur Bail village in Chaubepur block of the district, said, "No leader has done anything here. I will contest and bring in much-needed changes myself."
The 81-year-old woman believes that she can bring development to her village. She recently filed her nomination papers for Block Development Council (BDC) member.
"I decided to contest the panchayat to ensure development of my village. At this age, neither I have greed for any post, nor I am here to at the behest of any political party. I have decided on my own to contest the poll for overall development of my village," she told ZeeNews.
Claiming that her village does not have even basic facilities like a "road network, proper drains and drinking water supply", Devi added that the amount of garbage that continues to pile up is unbearable. "Mosquitoes breed and overflowing drains are a common sight due to lack of arrangements for proper sanitation," Devi said, adding that it is very important to have the basic infrastructure for the betterment of the villagers.
She further said that many leaders have been making various promises to the locals but none has fulfilled them. "No leader has brought development in our area. I will contest and bring in the much-needed changes here," she told ANI.
Devi's son Chand Pal said that his mother is trying to do what the previous leaders failed to. "This is the reason she wanted to contest the elections," he noted. According to the granddaughter of Rani Devi, the villagers are supporting her decision to contest the elections. "My grandmother is very active even at this age. The people of our village are supporting her and everyone believed that she can contest this election," she added.
The panchayat elections will take place in the district in the first phase on April 15. The votes will be counted on May 2.
Feature Image Credit: ANI
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