ARAMBOL: Spurred by the poor pace of development of his ward, a student with 80 per cent physical disabilities has thrown his hat in the fray for the panchayat elections, in a first for Pernem taluka.
Kunal Thakur, a 21-year-old BA LLB student is all set to take the next step in his political career by contesting the polls from ward No 7 of Arambol village panchayat. Undaunted by the lack of access to his wheelchair, Thakur went door-to-door in his ward to meet voters during his election campaign.
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Also, the youngest candidate to contest from Pernem, Thakur already has five years of political experience, having been part of different political parties including BJP, AAP and now, MGP.
Thakur is currently president of the Disabled Forum of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party.
During these five years of political involvement, Thakur says he has handled political administration as well as the day-to-day political proceedings of different parties. “I gained experience from several political parties to help me decide which one to choose. I’m now a member of MGP,” said Thakur.
Speaking about what pushed him to contest, Thakur said, “Being a student of political science and law, I had to act when I realised there was zero development in my ward. My five years of experience working in political parties was another reason for my decision.” He added that ward no 7, Deulwada, located in one of the State’s most famous tourist destinations, is the most backward ward in the whole village.
Itching to prove that disabled people could also make good political leaders, Thakur said that he wanted to show the citizens of Goa that choosing a young, educated person could change things for the better. “Here in India, we talk about equal opportunities, but in politics,
physically disabled people do not get equal opportunities, and that’s why we hardly see any differently-abled leaders,” said Thakur. The most difficult part of his campaign was going door-to-door to meet
people, as there was no proper access for his wheelchair in most places. “I still found a way to interact with the people of the ward—my parents visited their houses and I spoke to them on a video call,” said Thakur, adding that people support him whenever he needs it. “When people want to meet me personally, they visit me at home. And whenever people approach me to give motivational talks, they ensure that they choose a wheelchair-friendly venue,” he said. Along with politics, Kunal is also an avid swimmer.
