Indian-origin candidate for London Mayor Tarun Ghulati addresses a gathering in London.
| Photo Credit: PTI

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.

Also read | Crime and cost of living left, right and centre as London votes for a mayor

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.

Emphasizing that he was committed to all cultures and communities, Mr. Ghulati voiced his support for civilians in Gaza during his call with The Hindu, describing the bombarding of Gaza as “carnage and genocide”.

“I’ve been asking the leaders to go off to the Rafah crossing or Gaza and see the bodies and the mass graves, just as they went to Ukraine,” he said. The Israel-Palestine issue has become a point of tension in London, with near-weekly protests and counter-protests, as in many other world capitals.

“I want all Londoners to live in harmony,” Mr. Ghulati said. He also dismissed the opinion polls, which show incumbent Sadiq Khan well in the lead, followed by Ms. Hall and the candidates from the Lib Dem Party (Rob Blackie) and Green Party (Zoë Garbett).

London:

The Indian-origin candidate in the race to challenge Sadiq Khan from winning a third term as London Mayor says the citizens of the UK capital have been let down by all major political parties and that he wants to run London like a “seasoned CEO” who delivers profits for all.

Delhi-born Tarun Ghulati believes his experience as a businessman and investment expert is what London needs to revive its fortunes as the “global bank of the world” by attracting the investment it needs.

The 63-year-old is standing as an Independent candidate among 13 contestants in the fray for the local elections on May 2 when Londoners will vote for their Mayor and also for members of the London Assembly.

“I view London as a unique global city, akin to the ‘global bank of the world’ where diverse cultures converge to flourish,” Ghulati said in a speech this week.

“As Mayor, I will build London’s balance sheet such that it is the premier choice for investment, safeguarding safety and prosperity for all its residents. I will transform and run London effectively and efficiently like a seasoned CEO. London will be a profitable corporation where profitability means the well-being of all. You will all be part of the journey. Let’s do it for our London, our home,” he said.

Safety on the streets of the city is among his other major priorities, with visible community policing and more officers patrolling on the beat on the agenda.

“It is about having enough bobbies on the beat, having the resources for police officers to do their jobs; which means making the streets safe for women to walk at night, with muggers and burglars being caught and punished,” he said.

Scrapping some of the Labour Party incumbent Sadiq Khan’s unpopular policies such as the high costs associated with Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) charges and Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) across the city also make up Ghulati’s key policy planks.

“We did not want ULEZ, LTNs or 20mph speed limits and many other poor policies… Climate change is happening and we need to mitigate its effects but that cannot be done by making everyone live 15 minutes from home or to penalise commuters in areas with little public transport. What changes we need to make must be paced with public opinion, not imposed arbitrarily on wallets coping with the cost of living,” said Ghulati, who has called London his home for 20 years.

He is equally scathing about the Conservative Party candidate for Mayor, Susan Hall, who he claims failed to block the Mayor’s controversial policies despite being an assembly member for London for many years.

“I would not be a candidate for Mayor if the political candidates were doing what they should be. They have let us down. This is all about London and Londoners,” he declared.

Creating more affordable housing, minimising council tax, increasing focus on tourism to the UK capital and ensuring free school meals are among some of Ghulati’s other focus areas. He claims to have canvassed from borough to borough across London to garner the required signatures to support his mayoral candidature.

Ghulati also features in the official mini manifesto booklet costing each candidate GBP 10,000.

The winning mayoral candidate will be responsible for all local issues affecting Londoners from transport and policing to housing and the environment.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)