Jitesh Ganatra, currently deputy chair of the Kelston Electorate will be contesting in the Auckland local Elections getting his ticket from Communities and Residents (C&R) for Whau Local Board.

Jitesh comes from a political background with his father being actively involved in politics back in India in the early 1980s standing up for the Assembly elections and acting as a Political Advisor for BJP in Gujarat state.

Jitesh is currently working in supply chain management for a private liquor company and has worked for Fonterra and Nestle in the past 18 years living in New Zealand.

Jitesh comes from a Gujarati family having lived in India in a politically active family before moving to New Zealand in 2001.

Despite having a busy professional and family life, Jitesh devoted a small part of his time with various local Indian communities and temple. He has also been associated with the National party for over six years now and chaired the Kelston electorate in 2017.

Jitesh’s motivation to join the local politics and contest in the local elections comes from various issues that Kelston suffered over the last few years. He regards some of the many problems to be the key instigator for him to contest in the elections is to bring positive changes in the Kelston, New Lynn, Blockhouse Bay, Avondale and adjoining areas that lately is suffering from petty crime, traffic congestions, poor business for local retailers and small enterprises, transport to name a few.

Living in Kelston for over a decade, Jitesh and his family moved from the Kelston area to Glendene, a decision that he mentions was taken to avoid rising crime and intimidation by a local gang in the area.

Jitesh moved from Kelston citing safety concerns for his family and made several failed attempts to rent his house and ultimately selling it at a loss of approximately $100,000.

Other main points in his election manifesto is to boost the local economy by bringing transport connectivity to the retail market in the electorate region, wider road spaces for smoother traffic, and bring more footfall of shoppers in the area.

Jitesh is well known within the Kiwi-Indian community living in the Kelston electorate, especially the Gujarati community having closely attached with Swami Narayan Temple in Avondale and the other ethnic members of the local community in the constituency.