Sunita Kaushik, who was handpicked by the Delhi unit president of the BJP Manoj Tiwari as party candidate from Inderpuri slum, today defeated her rival AAP candidate by over 5,000 votes in the MCD poll.
Tiwari, a Bhojpuri star-turned-politician, had assumed the charge in November last year and launched a campaign wherein he would spend night at unauthorised colonies and slums.
It was during Tiwari's new year eve stay at Inderpuri slum where he met Kaushik and was impressed by her bold and upfront comments on politicians.
The BJP's Delhi unit chief had asked about problems faced by the slum dwellers, to which Kaushik had retorted saying: "Politicians do not listen to the poor people".
Impressed by her frank reply, Tiwari had promised Kaushik that the BJP would enable her to find solutions for the problems in her neighbourhood.
"I saw pain in her eyes as she told me that politicians do not listen to them," he had said after the BJP fielded Kaushik as its candidate from Inderpuri.
Elated over her victory, Kaushik today told PTI: "I pray to God that there should be more leaders like Manoj Tiwari in the country."
She also expressed a desire to work for solving problems like drinking water, sanitation and lack of toilets in Inderpuri slum.
"I will work to the best of my capabilities to serve the people who have elected me as a councillor," she said.
However, Kaushik was at the centre of a controversy after her affidavit with her nomination paper filed for the election revealed that she owned two houses, cash and jewelleries worth around Rs one crore.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had hit out at Tiwari for passing off a "millionaire" as a slum dweller.
Kaushik today defeated her AAP rival Jyoti Kumari by 5,463 votes.
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