JOIN USThis teacher may engineer a coup in GP polls
She is an MTech graduate and has been teaching computer science to engineering students in Bengaluru for the last 25 years. Forty-nine-year-old H V Leelavathi is now keen to don a new cap of reaching out to the grassroots by contesting the gram panchayat polls.
Leelavathi has filed her nomination papers for Nidagatta gram panchayat in a village called Tippur in Maddur taluk, Mandya district. She is pitted against five other candidates for two seats in the gram panchayat and elections are scheduled to be held on May 29.
Leelavathi owns an eight-acre coconut farm in Tippur and has been doing social service by giving free tuitions to local students in the evenings for the last 15 years. A lecturer at RNS Institute of Technology in Bengaluru, she travels back to her village every day after work.
“I want to give something back to society and thought why not give a try by contesting the gram panchayat polls. I do not have a family and can dedicate myself to social work,” says Leelavathi. Gram Panchayat polls are not contested on party symbols and Leelavathi is contesting without even indirect backing of any party. She is contesting for a general category seat. Leelavathi says she is not spending money for campaigning, but is confident of winning the seat because of her rapport with village residents.
She says her love for nature and rural life prompts her to travel back to her village every day. Leelavathi has not been canvassing for the election, but feels her rapport with her students in her village and their parents will turn the tide in her favour. “Even people in rural area talk about corruption in politics and that nothing can be done about it. I feel restless and that I need to something to change the perception,” Leelavathi says.