President Pranab Mukherjee`s daughter Sharmishtha Mukherjee taking up campaigning for Delhi poll has triggered speculations about her contesting the upcoming general elections.
|Last Updated: Dec 02, 2013, 08:48 PM IST|Source: PTI
New Delhi: President Pranab Mukherjee`s daughter Sharmishtha Mukherjee taking up campaigning for Delhi poll has triggered speculations about her contesting the upcoming general elections.
"I belong to a political family. How can I be averse to politics," Mukherjee said when asked whether her taking part in the campaigning here is an indication that she was not averse to joining active politics.
Talking to PTI, Mukherjee said she campaigned for Congress because she "belongs to Congress family" and also because she felt that it was her "duty" as she really thinks that Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has done a lot for the state.
To a direct question that whether her increased political activities mean that she would be contesting the next Lok Sabha polls, Mukherjee said, "Politics is much more about only contesting", but did not rule out the possibility.
47-year-old Mukherjee, who is classical kathak dancer, however said with a giggle that this dance of democracy called elections is "far more difficult".
"This is the second election in which I am campaigning. Before this, I had campaigned for my brother," she said.
Abhijeet Mukherjee, son of President Pranab Mukherjee, had won from family pocket borough Jangipur in Murshidabad district during bye-election in October last year. He had contested the seat on Congress ticket after it fell vacant when Pranab Mukherjee became President.
Ever since there have been speculations about the President`s daughter joining active politics, a contention, which was earlier dismissed.
This is the first time, both, the party as well as Mukherjee, have given so clear indications of the possibility of a larger role for the President`s daughter in Congress politics.
Sources in Congress said that Sharmishtha Mukherjee addressed four rallies in Delhi yesterday, including one each in Ramesh Park, Pandavnagar and Ganesh Nagar.
Before addressing rallies in presence of AICC general secretary in-charge for Delhi Shakeel Ahmed yesterday, Mukherjee also shared the dais with Chief Minister Dikshit at two different places.
In the rallies, Mukherjee spoke both in Bangla and Hindi and party leaders introduced her as "the daughter of a very long-time leader of Congress Pranab Mukherjee (Congress ke bahut purane leader ki suputri)".
Party MP Abhijit Mukherjee has also been roped in by Congress to conduct door-to-door contact programmes in Bengali-dominated areas in the national capital.
However, Sharmishtha Mukherjee`s increased participation has been watched with curiosity as this is the first time, she is participating in political rallies and meetings outside West Bengal.
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.