US postgraduate Opinderpreet Kaur looks confident to get 2nd victory
Harshabab Sidhu
Mohali, February 12, 2021:
“The Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) are using their big political leaders for campaigning in these MC elections. We don’t need any top notch politician for campaigning. Our actions speak for themselves. The former mayor, Kulwant Singh has already become a big face with the developmental works in his last tenure,” said 34-year-old Opinderpreet Kaur Gill, who is contesting the Municipal Corporation (MC) elections from ward number 18 as a candidate of Azad Group led by former mayor.
The ward number 18, comprising Phase 11 and Sector 48-C area, has around 3,300 votes. The opponents of Opinderpreet are Chhavi Sharma from Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP), Tanmeet Kaur Sahiwal from SAD and Kulwant Singh Kaler from Congress. The three women out of four candidates are post graduates and are also in the same age-groups.
Talking to Babushahi Times, Opinderpreet Kaur said that she wanted to fulfill the dreams of her mother, Amteshwar Kaur, who died in April 2015 due to a heart attack. “My mother was elected as councilor three times in a row by Mohali residents. After her death, I stepped into politics to fulfill the dreams of my mother and to maintain her name in our area,” said Opinderpreet.
Talking about her achievements and upcoming plans, she said that she was able to resolve two big problems of area residents in the last five years. “When I was elected in 2015 for the first time, residents of Phase 11 were facing a huge problem of water supply. The water pressure was so low that the residents living on top floors were unable to get water in their kitchens. A separate water pipeline was installed following which the residents got a huge relief. Earlier in Sector 48-C, there were only 2 tube wells but I managed to install another one, which also helped the residents a lot,” said Opinderpreet while adding that “The next target is to remove the illegal vendors in Phase 11 and to relocate them. A tree pruning machine is also required in our area and I will get this done too, if I get the chance. The next focus will be on making proper parking space and installing paver blocks. I am also looking for beautification of my ward.”
Born in 1987 in Chandigarh, Opinderpreet Kaur moved to Mohali when she was just four-year-old. She completed her schooling and graduation from Mohali and Chandigarh respectively. After graduation, Opinder went to the US where she completed her post-graduation in 2.5 years from Wilkes University. She returned to India after that and got inspiration from her mother to serve the residents. She also runs two NGOs, ‘Girl Rise for Mohali’ and ‘Generation Saviour Association’.
She also said, “I appeal all women candidates to participate maximum in the house this time. Create your own identification with your work so that you don’t need to look for any reserved seat next time.”
On the statement of Prem Singh Chandumajra that the candidates of Azad Group will return to SAD after the elections, she said, “We don’t need to join any party now as we all are capable of serving the people through our clean intentions and hard work. We are all set to get a majority this time.”
