Ashlesha is our fellow from Maharashtra.

Her story begins with the hardships she faced after the death of her father. She was still pursuing her Bachelor's and was in her final year.

But the financial constraints prevented her from continuing her education and she was soon married off. At her new household she suffered domestic violence in the form of physical, mental and emotional abuse at the hands of her in-laws.

She soon realised she should not continue to live in such an abusive house and sought to break away from these circumstances.

She filed for divorce from her husband but her own extended family were against her decision and wanted her to adjust. However she overcame all these hurdles with the support of her mother and sister

Ashlesha restarted her life in a new city.

She has earned a bachelor's degree in journalism advertising from the International School of Business & Media.

She interned with many NGO’s, and wrote her own success story. She has worked for the world renowned organization called GreenPeace International through her relentless efforts to organize protests against malpractices of private companies and excellence in teamwork, and earned the award for the “Best Group Coordinator ''.

In her heart she carried the dreams and visions of her forefathers. She was raised to believe in ideas of justice. Motivated by her own life’s endeavors she understands the importance of a just and equal society where every individual can freely exercise his /her rights. She wants to re-establish a peaceful and harmonious order in the society which she believes has been damaged under the current regime.

She is currently working within the “Social Media wing” within the Congress Party called the Ward Room for the past two years. She has been recently awarded the position of National Spokesperson of Indian National Congress.

To pursue her dream to engage in active politics she joined the Indira Fellowship. She believes in striving for a secular India and is committed towards a just and free society. She sees herself as a future parliamentarian who can bring positive transformation to prevent any kinds of discrimination faced by women in the field of politics, higher education etc. She also wants to bridge the existing wage gaps between the two genders.

Her devotion towards cause of women comes from her own personal trials and tribulations as well as the support from her mother and sister. She says “in my life only women helped me especially my mother and sister… I want to give back same support to other women who are not as fortunate”.

She believes Indira Fellowship will provide her the political assistance for her wider goals and will play a transformatory role in her Political crusade to bring women's issues in the political context.