go to: http://m.oneindia.in/news/
The war that rages in the electorate’s mind is different- to vote or not to vote.
But the general public is tired of cast, class, religion and even liberal politics. It is looking for a leader who is down to earth at the same time can work for them without falling back on the archaic ideologies of established parties.
So, is the new trend of increased Independent candidature the answer to this? There is quiet an impressive list of Independent contestants for the Lok Sabha Polls this time.
Capt. Gopinath, the man who pioneered low-cost air travel in India, has stepped into the Political battleground, by contesting from Bangalore South. He has strictly stood by the ideology of the ‘independent’ and has declined offers from parties like JD(U) and Samajwadi Party.
However, he has accepted their help when they proposed to not field their candidates. Capt. Gopinath has been vocal about his anger that rose when the country helplessly burned on 26/11, and about the moral police men like Muthalik.
Meera Sanyal, a banker turned Politico to ‘get Mumbai back on track’. She will be contesting from South Mumbai. She is the current Country Head of ABM Amro Bank who believes that through participating in the election alone will she be able to bring about some positive changes in the society. Again like Capt. Gopinath, she was moved to action after witnessing th Mumbai terror attacks. Her five point strategy is simple and straight forward yet convincing and inspiring.
Mallika Sarabhai, a noted dancer will be contesting from the Gandhi Nagar Constituency. It is the same constituency from which BJP’s Prime Minister candidate, L K Advani will be contesting from. She has raised voice on matters like women’s empowerment, social justices and human rights, and even openly disagreed with Modi. Sarabhai who claims that people’s issues are close to her heart says that she has just moved from politics to electoral politics when asked about her decision to contest. But she has admitted that she would join Congress if she receives an offer.
These candidates appeal to the individual of the country not to a ‘community’. They promise feasible and practical solutions to problems that seem larger than life when put in hands of inept leaders. The weapons of choice are the internet and the youth to drive forth their voices.
The list of independent candidates is long and so is the road for these candidates. But the fact is that there are only few who reach such posts, blogs, articles or features and popularity becomes a factor that their success depends on. It is, definitely, an uphill task to contest as an Independent as opposed to riding on the band wagon of the parties. They face challenges with respect to financial resources required for campaigning and contesting, and suffer the lack of credibility if they aren’t well-known among the people.
Nevertheless, there are many things that work for them. The people have grown intolerant to the ‘party politics, and also the modest campaigning, like the bus trips of Capt. Gopinath, that these candidates can afford may be seen as honest as opposed to the traditional ways of public gathering brought by the parties.
So, maybe even the ‘Love Guru’ Matuknath Choudhary from Patna stands a chance against the leaders who have failed the people’s trust over and over again.
Tags: feature, lok sabha polls 2009, gr gopinath, meera sanyal, mallika sarabhai, bangalore, mumbai, gandhinagar, lk advani, patna, matuknath choudhary, samyuktha k.
Related links
Oneindia Login
Equity