“I cannot serve society if I am confined in an office, and that is the reason why I have chosen to contest as an independent candidate,” said G. Raji Subash, a candidate who filed her nomination papers to contest in the Lok Sabha elections.
This 44-year-old mother of two made heads turn at the Collectorate here on Saturday when she said that she quit her job as Deputy Commissioner (Appeals) in the Commercial Taxes Department in Chennai to contest in the elections. She is one among very few women candidates who have filed papers in the southern districts.
“As a public servant, I had discharged my duties as dictated by my higher authorities. I feel it is high time educated people like me contributed to society so as to serve a large number of people,” she said. Justifying her decision to contest as an independent candidate, she said that as an independent, she would have freedom and would not be bound by ideologies of a political party.
While Madurai is her native place, Ms. Raji lives in Chennai with her family. “I have travelled a lot and lived in many places, but I find that there have been no major changes in Madurai in the past decade. So much can be done to develop the constituency in terms of infrastructure,” she opined.
Outlining her campaign plan, the candidate said she would target women who were looking for a strong woman representative to speak for their cause in Parliament.
“Safety and support are the need of the hour for women. We have so many educated women with potential who do not have a channel to use their talents. The system should be of support to women in terms of education, skill development and job opportunities,” Ms. Raji said.
