London Mayor Elections: Delhi-born candidate in the fray

Delhi-born Tarun Ghulati, independent candidate for London mayor, aims to bring finance expertise and diversity to city governance.

As London goes to the polls on May 2 to elect a mayor, Delhi-born Tarun Ghulati is among the 14 candidates for voters to choose from. Mr. Ghulati, an investment banker and strategic advisor, is running as an independent to “encourage the free flow of ideas and policies without party ideology and bias”.

“People don’t know whether to heat or eat,” Mr Ghulati told The Hindu on the eve of the election, describing the cost of living crisis. He hopes to bring his finance background to create funds for London.

As part of his plan, Mr. Ghulati said he would want more “bobbies (police) on the beat” .

“But of the right kind,” he adds, meaning they should come from diverse backgrounds to understand the cultural nuances of the communities they police. Not unlike the Conservative candidate Susan Hall, he wants more localized policing, by increasing the number of police booths in the city.

Like other candidates, Mr. Ghulati’s formula for making housing more affordable in London includes rent-control laws in areas undergoing gentrification and changing land-use regulations. He also wants to reduce the amount of congestion charges paid by car drivers using London roads.

 “You don’t need politicians who blurred the vision for London and have failed London, “ Mr. Ghulati said, when asked if London was read for a foreign-born Mayor.

“I speak several languages and and understand the cultural sensitivity of people,” Mr. Ghulati said adding that his Indian upbringing taught him to believe in the notion of the world as one family, which he described as ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, a Sanskrit phrase also used by the Modi government in its foreign policy references.