Who Is Indian-Origin Candidate Tarun Ghulati Fighting For London Mayoral Polls: Take A Lok At His Priorities

London: Indian-Origin candidate Tarun Ghulati who is fighting for the London Mayoral elections has made a list of priorities to do if he elected to the coveted post. His priorities include Security, traffic congestion, housing crisis among others. Interestingly, this Indian-origin candidate Tarun Ghulati has stepped up to challenge the incumbent Pakistani-origin mayor, Sadiq Khan.

This electoral face-off symbolises a unique contest between two individuals hailing from former British colonies, each vying for the city’s top leadership position.

Who Is Indian-Origin Candidate Tarun Ghulati?

Tarun Ghulati, an investment banker and businessman, of Indian origin has vowed to strengthen the law and order system, solve traffic congestion problems, and bring in more investments in the city.

Calling both incumbent London Mayor Sadiq Khan and his Conservative rival ‘incompetent’, he said that instead of politicians, it should be people-centric governance for a city, which contributes an elephant share of the country’s economy.

What is Tarun Ghulati’s Vision For London?

Elaborating his vision for the city, Ghulati, who calls himself the “most experienced” candidate in the polls, said he will bring in experts with knowledge of specific domains in the policymaking process.

“I have got a shadow cabinet ready, get the ground running. There will be experts in city planning, experts in transportation, community development, and engagement…advisors from different communities. So they know the nuances, and based on their advice, you engage with everyone,” Ghulati said in an exclusive interview to ANI.

Ghulati said that he wears his Indian roots as a badge of honour and believes in the idea of ‘Vausudhaiva Kutumbakam’.

“Being a person of Indian-origin, I wear that as a badge of honour. It is a matter of pride for me. I am a proud Hindu. But I believe in the concept of ‘Vausudhaiva Kutumbakam’,” he said.

35 years in India

The Indian-origin businessman and investment banker spent the first 35 years of his life in India.

“I was born in India, grew up in India, and spent the first 35 years there. That is my janmabhoomi. My father was a civil servant. I have studied across many places and hold 4 post-graduation degrees, including an MBA from Delhi,” Ghulati said.

He also said that he will work with full might on making the possible Free Trade Agreement with India a “success”.

“We are about to sign an FTA in the near term with India. So I will be a key person making sure that it’s a success and trade flow increase,” he said.

Notably, India and the UK are negotiating a Free Trade Agreement (FTA). Talks for FTA between India and the UK started in 2022.

Recalling his business endeavour, Ghulati said he started his journey by selling tomato ketchups and running Xerox business.

“I started in a very humble way, by selling tomato ketchup…I went a step ahead, I would pick up the empty bottles and basically have them cleaned, re-filled, so that I could be competitive when I reduce the price,” he said.

(With inputs from ANI)