Sanjida Khatun (right) meets residents of her ward at Karbala Chowk.Picture by Prashant Mitra

Ranchi, April 23: For Sanjida Khatun (35), the newly elected commissioner of Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) ward number 18, life has changed overnight.

She starts her day by preparing breakfast for her children and husband and sending her kids off to the school as usual. “But now, each morning I wake up to find not nearly a dozen people at my door. They come with applications for various kinds of work,” said Khatun, who was a little-known housewife before being elected.

Her small house in Kaliasthan Road near Karbala Chowk in the city describes her humble origin but this does not undermine the grit and determination with which she handles every case. While speaking to Shanti Devi, a widow residing in Baldev Sahay Lane, she said: “I will speak to higher authorities in the RMC regarding your pension.”

Though Khatun has only received education up to Class X, it has not proved to be a barrier. She handles problems related to old age pensions, red cards, ration cards, drinking water connections and cleanliness with ease.

In fact, as many as 21 of the 55 ward commissioners seats in the RMC — all women — are now adjusting to life post elections. Nitu Devi, a folk artiste, was earlier busy with the song and drama division of the Government of India. “Though I have not lead a public life, the new assignments are different. People not only come to my house but also take me to places to understand their problems,” said the ward commissioner of ward number 43 (Satellite Colony).

Women also feel easier to interact with another woman. “I enjoy solving their problems,” said Sajda Khatun, the ward commissioner of ward number 27 (Hindpiri). A mother of three an master’s degree-holder from Ranchi University, Khatun now leads a busy life. “I am not able to see off my children to school and can afford little time in the kitchen,” she said. But her husband Ijhar Alam is not complaining. The couple is now planning to “re-organise” its morning timetable and adjust to the new routine.