Keys of rickshaw in hubby's hands, key to Rajkot in wife's!

Raksha Boliya, 42, is a woman with a difference. One, the new mayor of Rajkot, the fourth-largest city of Gujarat, belongs to the Bharwad (shepherd) community and the other is that her husband drives auto rickshaw for a living.

Like the residents of the city, the news of her elevation to the post of mayor was also a surprise for Boliya. “Frankly, I did not expect to be selected mayor. Although my educational qualifications are sound, I am a first-term councillor and there are other senior members also,” she said. “This decision, taken by chief minister Narendra Modi, is very good for me. It shows that the party does not differentiate between low class and high-class people because all those who work for the party are equal,” the mayor added.

Her selection, however, should not be a surprise if one looks at her family’s political profile. Boliya’s father, Kunverji Jadav, was a senior leader of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in western India as well as president of the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh. Her husband, Raghu Boliya, is an active member of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the last 23 years and had even been president of ward 15 once from where she was elected in 2010.

Raksha took charge as the mayor of Rajkot on June 14 and will serve in that post for two-and-a-half years. Now, she will move from her own home to the mayor’s bungalow.

Raksha and Raghu got married in 1995. The latter, an auto driver, is proud of his profession. “My husband drives auto. He ferries girls from home to school. It is their blessings which have paid me rich dividends,” she gushed.

On the other hand, despite getting a car, her husband is willing to continue driving auto.

“I do not want to give up my profession. This is what I have been doing all along. I will continue to do my work honestly,” Raghu said.
“I have been working for BJP for 23 years and I am grateful to the party for taking note of my hard work and sincerity and electing my wife to the post of mayor,” said an elated Raghu.

Rajkot Municipal Corporation is ruled by the BJP. Only once in its 40-year-old history, has this civic body been ruled by the Congress.