Shreya Verma - The Young Candidate From Gonda Lok Sabha Constituency (image-facebook/Shreya Verma)

On Monday, the Samajwadi Party (SP) announced 11 more candidates from Uttar Pradesh for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. The list includes one notable figure – Shreya Verma from the constituency of Gonda.

Daughter of former cabinet minister Rakesh Verma and granddaughter of former Union Minister Beni Prasad Verma, Shreya Verma has been doing public relations in Gonda Lok Sabha constituency.

Verma studied at Dehradun’s Welham Girls’ School, a private boarding school, and pursued her graduation from Ramjas College, University of Delhi. Following the footsteps of her father and grandfather, the economics graduate began her career in politics within the Samajwadi Party, alongside her father. She became the first national vice president of Samajwadi Mahila Sabha by the party, and has been vocal about educational equity, championing women”s rights.

Notably, started the Beni Prasad Verma Academy in Baranbanki, wherein poor children are provided with free education including civil services.

With a higher number of workers in the Gonda constituency, the Samajwadi Party, very tactically, has put forth Verma, from non-Yadav OBC category, as the ideal representative. Within the Gonda constituency, there are five assembly seats including Gonda Sadar, Mehnaun, Utraula, Mankapur and Gaura. Apart from Mankapur, the three regions are dominated by Muslim folks and Kurmi caste. By putting Verma in the forefront, the party aims to woo Kurmi voters. With around 21 percent Muslim voters, the party is leaning on the higher percentage of Kurmi voters to vote for Shreya Verma.

However, challenges remain poised in Verma’s path as she is an outsider as she belongs from the Barabanki district, giving her the disadvantage. Former Samajwadi Party member, Kirtivardhan Singh is the current MP from Gonda from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). With plenty of experience in social work and politics, Shreya Verma has been gathering support within the Gonda constituency for the past few days.