An alumni of DPS, Hindu College, Law faculty and LSE. Nupur Sharma is what you would call a perfect ‘Dilli ki Kudi.' A pleasant persona, a natural warmth and a perennial smile. Frankly, if I would have met her during my college days, I would have probably asked her out on a date.
But here she is, from ABVP to BJP Yuva Morcha to now taking on Arvind Kejriwal from New Delhi. The one thing you will never miss out about Nupur is the constant smile on her face.
We catch her while she is campaigning in Nauroji Nagar in South Delhi. Sitting comfortably on the front seat of her car, with a cup of hot water in her hand to soothen her throat, she could well be Smriti Irani redux. For the last decade, Ms.Irani positioned herself as a willing sacrificial lamb. Frankly every party has it. Now its Nupur's turn.
Nupur Sharma accompanying Kiran Bedi on her roadshow in Connaught Place, Delhi (Courtesy: Twitter/YuvaiTV)Nupur Sharma accompanying Kiran Bedi on her roadshow in Connaught Place, Delhi (Courtesy: Twitter/YuvaiTV)
Ask her a**ociates and they say, well she is trying. So that's a good thing. She says she is here to stay. Describes Arvind Kejriwal as the outsider and defends Kiran Bedi vehemently. But wait a minute. If Ms Bedi, BJP chief ministerial candidate says that she will debate Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi a**embly, isn't she therefore admitting that Nupur is going to lose the election from New Delhi constituency? We ask her exactly that question. She says, “Ms Bedi is an icon we must appreciate.” Sure, we appreciate her Nupur, but that's not the answer to the question.
Sushma Swaraj once famously took on Sonia Gandhi in Bellary. She lost but look at where she is today. Smriti Irani has never won an election in her life, but she milked the process of contesting high-profile electoral battles to get herself a cabinet post. Could Nupur Sharma be the next in line for looking for an emolument post a more than likely loss? “What if I win?” she asks us. “Why should I answer what will I do If I lose?” But rather strangely, one of the key a**ociates for Nupur Sharma during the campaign is the man who made a habit of making it to news bulletins with some crazy antiques. Tejinder Singh Bagga. Self professed chief of Bhagat Singh Kranti Sena. Yes, the same man who threw ink at or slapped a few leaders. Look at her Twitter profile and you see that she is more than happy to have him a**isting her on this campaign. Just to be sure whether he is up to something, I ask him if he is carrying any black ink to throw at someone. He politely declines.
Nupur tries to draw attention of citizens here towards roads that she feels haven't been repaired. Her slogan is DHARNA vs KARNA. But will she really be in a position to do anything post 10th Feb?
Looks unlikely.