London: A Delhi-born businessman Tarun Ghulati has emerged as a challenger to incumbent Sadiq Khan in London mayoral elections on May 2, throwing his hat in the ring for the post as he banks on his ability to win due to his mass base and understanding of finance. The Indian-origin mayoral candidate said he wants to run London like a 'seasoned CEO'.
According to Ghulati, 63, he holds the edge among the 13 candidates in the fray. Poll trends showed Khan as the likely winner, but Ghulati remains unfazed, rubbishing the predication of present mayor's winnability as 'misleading'.
Having spent £10,000 (Rs 10 lakh) and obtaining 10 signatures from each London borough just to stand as an independent candidate, Ghulati eyes change to the mayoral office.
Gulati studied at University of Jaipur and held an MBA from Delhi University before joining HSBC as an international manager. After his London posting in 2006, he decided to settle in UK, moved by London’s multiculturalism and opportunities.
The father of two is the lone Indian-origin candidate. In an interaction with media, he said his strong crdentials as someone who has a sound understanding of finance should hold good for the mayoral polls. He promised to bring in 'new money' as by Gulati's own admission, he understands the dynamics of money.
He pledges to do away with the controversial ULEZ policy introduced by Khan, which charges drivers of the most polluting vehicles £12.50 (Rs 1,300) per day to drive in London. He also spoke for rent controls and incentivising developers to build social housing, along with the creation of social impact funds.
The high profile candidate who is from GK2 in New Delhi, said he has the support of Asian voters, including Muslims. According to him, he is the "strongest voice for Gaza."
Plans for London
Safety on the streets of the city is among his other major priorities, with visible community policing and more officers patrolling on the beat on the agenda.
“It is about having enough bobbies on the beat, having the resources for police officers to do their jobs; which means making the streets safe for women to walk at night, with muggers and burglars being caught and punished,” he said.
Scrapping some of the Labour Party incumbent Sadiq Khan’s unpopular policies, such as the high costs associated with Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) charges and Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) across the city, also make up Ghulati’s key policy planks.
“We did not want ULEZ, LTNs or 20mph speed limits and many other poor policiesâ€æ Climate change is happening and we need to mitigate its effects but that cannot be done by making everyone live 15 minutes from home or to penalise commuters in areas with little public transport. What changes we need to make must be paced with public opinion, not imposed in an arbitrary way on wallets coping with the cost of living,” said Ghulati, who has called London his home for 20 years.
He is equally scathing about the Conservative Party candidate for Mayor, Susan Hall, who he claims failed to block the Mayor's controversial policies despite being an Assembly member for London for many years.
“I would not be a candidate for Mayor if the political candidates were doing what they should be doing. They have let us down. This is all about London and Londoners,” he declared.
Creating more affordable housing, minimising council tax, increasing focus on tourism to the UK capital and ensuring free school meals are among some of Ghulati’s other focus areas. He claims to have canvassed from borough to borough across London to garner his required signatures to support his mayoral candidature. Ghulati also features in the official mini manifesto booklet, which costs each candidate GBP 10,000. The winning mayoral candidate will be responsible for all local issues affecting Londoners, from transport and policing to housing and the environment. (With agency inputs)
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