Elections to the 15^th Lok Sabha are underway. This election has been characterized as one devoid of any major campaign issue. It appears that both the two national parties –BJP and Congress- are losing their influence. They are losing out to smaller niche, rural parties and caste groups. This is turning out to be a great opportunity for a wide variety of smaller party leaders and the Left parties to exert their influence. They all are aiming at either becoming kings or king-makers.

All these parties and leaders have come together to form the Third Front. Their only common ideal? Ambition. Whenever the non-Congress, non-BJP lead alliances have ruled the country, there have been long periods of social, economic and political instability. The first non-Congress government formed by the Janata Party ruled for 3 years (1977-1980) and had two Prime ministers – Morarji Desai and Charan Singh. The next non-Congress, non-BJP government was the National Front government which lasted for 2 years (1989-1991) and had two Prime ministers – V.P.Singh and Chandrasekhar. The United Front government lasted less than 2 years (1996-1998) and had 2 Prime ministers – H.D. DeveGowda and I.K. Gujral.

If we look at the trend, we will notice that unstable Third Front governments and stable BJP/Congress led governments come to power alternately. So if that trend continues, we can be sure that we will see another unstable Third Front government coming to power this time.

Interestingly, two new groups seem to be emerging in the political scene. The first group claims it is a non-Congress, non-BJP and non-Third Front alliance and calls itself the Fourth Front. The constituents of the Front are the parties of the movie stars Praja Rajyam Party (of Chiranjeevi in Andhra Pradesh) and DMDK (of Vijaykanth in Tamil Nadu). The alliance within the UPA alliance – Lalu Yadav, Ram Vilas Paswan and Mulayam Yadav , Sharad Pawar – also seem to be gravitating towards the Fourth Front.

The second is a disparate group of individuals who are mostly highly successful professionals in their chosen fields and have entered the politics with noble intentions. They are contesting as independents in urban constituencies that have higher number of educated middle class voters. They include Meera Sanyal from South Mumbai, Capt. Gopinath from South Bangalore, Sarath Babu from South Chennai, Ashish Saxena (a 30 year old social worker-) and Mallika Sarabhai from Ahmadabad among others.

The established parties are worried about these independents and hence brand them as spoilers and many voters wonder if elected, will they achieve anything worthwhile since they will not have any clout in the government. Since voters do not perceive them as winnable, they also have a lower chance of getting these votes.

It is very likely that these candidates do not win this election. But there is definitely hope for them for the next election. The Indian middle class is expanding and the number of urban Lok Sabha seats is increasing. The frustration of the middle class voters at non-performing politicians is increasing and if there is a viable alternative, these voters are definitely going to vote for that alternative.

In my mind, the best alternative is the formation of the Fifth Front. This Front should bring together all the capable independents under one fold and have a set of common manifesto. The candidates themselves should have individual manifestos that touch upon the developmental issues pertaining to their constituency.

They should also rope in similar minded people like Shashi Tharoor, K. Pandiarajan from other parties and parties like Lok Satta, Lok Paritran, Jago Party and Professionals Party of India. This Front will have no caste, regional or linguistic identity and will have the noble purpose of serving the country. The Front will focus on developmental activities for the countries and not try to divide the country along various lines.

Is it possible? The answer is yes. Is it probable? Tough to say. What do you think?

Popularity: 29%

Last couple of weeks I have been a silent spectator watching some interesting news about our politicians and their election promises. While one promises TVs, subsidized rice, wheat etc.,the others are not falling behind – banning computers, English in schools etc. Everyone is there to outscore each other in terms of either idiotic promises or false ones which can never be met, if the party is of sane mind.

In contrast, Meera Sanyal’s campaign has caught my attention. Like many educated and urban politicians, Meera Sanyal seems to have succeeded in getting the right people in place for her campaign and it is showing results.

Look at her website – The site is updated with the latest that is happening with her campaign, her fans are getting daily updates in their mailboxes, facebook campaign is also gaining momentum. In a nutshell there seems to be lot of moving parts, which definitely is a sign of strength.

I just hope Meera Sanyal wins the South Mumbai constituency even if it is by a small margin. That would really bring a lot of cheer and hope for Mumbai, which the city always deserved.

Kudos to the team that is putting up the brave effort, selflessly. I am sure most of them are volunteers and are happy to give their time for doing the right thing, promoting the right candidate. It is very easy to go with the crowd but it takes courage to stand out from the crowd. What the volunteers are doing is nothing short of creating an independent movement of sorts and is worth applauding. Hope it pays!

My message to Mumbaikars

Think twice before you vote this time. What you have seen on 26/11 is proof enough that our current system has failed and failed miserably. What you need is a government that works and leaders that are effective, not those who sit on a pile of cash and promote their selfish interests. We, Indians, have seen the worst of politics and politicians. Time for a change. Meera is the change that you’ve been looking for. If you don’t see it now, it might be too late.

Mumbai – Vote for change. Vote for Meera!

Image Credit: Wiki

Popularity: 34%

With elections around the corner, there would be many thoughts going through your mind.

Who will win this election ? Will Mayawati be a strong candidate for Prime Minister ? Or will Congress regain majority with the other UPA allies ? Or will Advani win the heart of the nation?

There are several of these questions that need to be answered. No one knows better than you do in your state or city. India Special is opening its doors to everyone who can contribute articles with primary focus on elections.

At India Special, are neither a pro BJP nor a pro Congress….and we don’t intend to be with the Third Front either. But yes, we do want to speak out, promote the right candidates, the right ideologies as much as we can.

At the same time, we would like to be of service to those who intend to speak their mind out.

India Special has a backend team of editors, publishers, technologists etc who are willing to support you in your analysis for and against candidates in each and every state.

If you are willing to participate in this debate and want your articles to be published, just write your thoughts and opinions to editor@indiaspecial.net

Please note that we do edit the articles to meet our quality standards. Also, some of the points that you may want to keep in mind while writing articles, analysis or opinions are

a) The article should be in the range of 500-800 words

b) The article should not have spelling and grammar mistakes

c) The article should not be communal in nature, promote hatred etc.

d) The article should not contain any foul language

You are free to express your opinion and we respect it. Please make all efforts to be a responsible contributor. Please take a look at some of the articles that we have published in recent times, just to get an idea

a) The Importance Of Being Earnest In Politics

b) Shashi Tharoor- A New Beginning?

c) Indian Politics – Change Is Coming Soon

d) Lok Satta – Powered By People, Driven By Actions

e) Meera Sanyal –The Hope For Mumbai

Looking forward for an excellent analysis of the coming elections. Get your thoughts published, initiate a debate and do your bit to make a difference. Please also spread the word around. Thank you.

You can email your articles to  editor@indiaspecial.net

Image Credit: Caitlinator

Popularity: 29%

Every morning I devour practically the entire Hindu and The Times of India and attempt at deciphering meaning out of the cacophony of our national politics. At night I worship the idiot box and sink in the theatrics of the likes of Professor Laloo, star struck Amar Singh, imperious Behn ji, of course our own Amma and countless others. At the end, I realize I am not any wiser having listened to their discussions. Like people crouching happily around a circle watching the gory fight among a few cocks and hens I allow myself to get titillated by the ongoing bawdy carnival. I resolve to wean myself away from these temptations in future. Invariably, the steaming tea the next day morning reminds me of the steamy headlines in the papers and I start all over again.

Having said this, I understand the grave implications of the elections. All the cocks and hens fighting it out in the middle have the power to make or break our lives.

Kandamangalm’s article on Ms.Meera Sanyal entering the fray as an independent MP candidate from Mumbai South was timely. I admire the idealism conveyed through her web site and I bet she wants to make a difference. But, I feel sad for Meera Sanyal. There is hardly any chance of the miracle win she is hoping for. She is surely a realist, why is she doing this to herself? Perhaps in politics the loser also wins in some ways. The number of votes a candidate gets is like the number of customers a business can boast of. And politics is all about leveraging with numbers.

I agree with Madhavan that Meera should have got into a political party and increased her chances of winning. At any rate, why is she contesting against Milind Deora who has already made a name for working with vision and dynamism? Tell me, what is the use of felling a good, sturdy tree? Are you against him just because he is his father’s son? May the forces be with you, Meera. And, don’t lose heart!

Kandamangalm’s suggestion to vote for the individual rather than the party is okay with me, but there is a part of me that rebels. If a good man stands from Raj Thackeray’s party in my constituency, I will not vote for that candidate. Nor will I consider a very good candidate from any of the archaic communist parties. A man is defined by his ideologies and thoughts.

That brings me to the topic of a very good man who is not necessarily in terrific company. I am speaking of Mr.Pandia Rajan who is the D.M.D.K (Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam) candidate from Virudhunagar constituency near Madurai. This party was started in 2006 by popular Tamil film actor Vijaykanth also known as black M.G.R or ‘Captain Vijaykanth’. Ever since he started his acting career in 1979, Vijaykanth has carefully nurtured his image in the mould of M.G.R, as a do-gooder and a champion of the oppressed. He has been very vocal about the plight of the Tamils in Sri Lanka. In spite of overtures from several parties, D.M.D.K has decided to approach the people alone, without any alliance.

Mr.K.Pandia Rajan dived into the rough waters of Indian politics more than two years back. He first joined the BJP and after being with them for more than a year he became disillusioned with them and joined the party of Vijaykanth. Why is he in the company of a temperamental film star? Perhaps he loathes being a small fish in a big river. Being the risk taker that he is, Mr.Pandia Rajan smells some heady stuff brewing in Vijaykanth’s party. He is now a big fish in D.M.D.K and is now aiming for the stars. He is surely a person to watch out for in Indian politics.

Pandia Rajan’s story is the stuff of heroism and grit. Born in Vilampatti village in Sivakasi district, he was brought up by his grand father as his father who was a worker at a match factory died when Pandia Rajan was just three months old. After studying in the village school, he went to Coimbatore to study engineering at the PSG College of Technology. He joined XLRI, Jamshedpur for his MBA.

K. Pandia Rajan founded Ma Foi Management Consultants Limited in 1992 with an aim to make it a one-stop shop for all HR needs. With a capital of just Rs. 60,000, Pandia Rajan has transformed Ma Foi which now finds jobs for around 5,500 people every month. Today, its turn over is Rs.550 crore. Very soon, they are likely to provide more employment than all the Government employment exchanges in India put together. Ma Foi is now part of Vedior NV, a 6.85 billion Euro staffing company and the third largest in the world.

Pandia Rajan’s belief in giving back to society for what life has given him inspired him to create Ma Foi Foundation which works towards education for children, women empowerment, and capacity building for NGOs. Ma Foi Foundation, spear-headed by Mr.Pandia Rajan and his wife have made very good impact in several villages.

I have no doubt that Mr.Pandia Rajan has his game plan firmly in place. If he and we are lucky, we have another clean, effective and visionary politician in the making. Whether he makes it big in politics or not, he is another reason for all of us to be proud as Indians. He is a living example teaching us about the importance of being earnest in life and also in politics.

Popularity: 29%

Meera Sanyal – Does the name ring a bell ?

Perhaps not – may be because you are not aware of some of the big names in the banking industry…or may be you are too tied up in your own world…Don’t worry…

Wait before I tell you who she is, and what she stands for….I am pretty sure you will establish a connection like many of us, by the time you finish reading this..

Meera is a professional banker with over 25 years of experience. Currently the Chairperson and Country Executive of the erstwhile ABN Amro Bank (now RBS). She probably one of the few corporate citizens to  enter the electoral foray.

As per her website

As an Investment banker she has worked both in India and within the Asian region on a number of Project Finance and Advisory and M&A mandates. In 2001, she set up ACES, ABN AMRO’s Global Shared Services company, which currently employs over 5,000 staff and provides banking operations, research, global finance, and HR shared services to 40 countries. ACES has consistently recorded both high client satisfaction and high employee engagement scores and is one of the most highly certified BPOs in India today.

An area very dear to her has been ABN AMRO’s Corporate Social Responsibility activities. The bank has financed over 7,00,000 women who live below the poverty line in rural India. Through the activities of their Foundation, which Meera chairs, they have undertaken several projects that aim both to alleviate poverty and conserve biodiversity (especially in endangered tiger habitats), as well as promote watersheds and sequester carbon through working with tribals and marginal farmers in degraded land areas.

Meera served on the Board of Trustees of an asset management company, and is currently on the National Advisory Board of AIESEC, an international students’ organization. She also chairs the boards of various bank subsidiaries in India.

Let me be honest, I knew Meera only by her name and some news clippings on various websites and today after going through her website, I feel comfortable that at last there are corporate citizens who too think that Indian politics has to change and change for the better. She has given me renewed hope that Mumbai will once again be resurgent, a city that lost its reputation for all the wrong reasons. I hope that South Mumbai will vote for a fresh, energetic and result oriented face.

Oh! By the way, did I tell you Meera Sanyal is contesting for Lok Sabha elections as an independent candidate from South Mumbai.

Independent Candidate ???

That’s what I thought too when she initially decided to stand for election, as I did not think she would stand a chance. But I happened to read this webpage from her site and I know now how wrong I was. She has taken the right decision to stand as an independent candidate from South Mumbai and I can’t agree more with her decision, keeping in mind the no. of corrupt and criminal politicians that we have in our country.

I was also enamored what her Facebook fans had to say about her. Read this and I am sure why you will like what you read..

When Meera will enter the Lok Sabha in June this year, she will bring to the Parliament grace, intelligence, soundness, smartness, and wit, and her astute thoughts will lend an impartiality the House has lacked.

In an election field that already has, on one hand, an incumbent who has inherited his father’s parliamentary seat in a way that does not reflect the market-driven meritocracy of this city, and on the other, a challenger whose party prefers our city to be less inclusive and more sectarian, looking less than itself, Meera offers the freshness, brilliance, verve, and bold ideas that can transform the nature of our politics and reclaim the country’s most cosmopolitan constituency for its residents.

This would mean South Mumbai, which leads India in every area except politics, would now be able to lead in political thinking and action, too. Meera is not beholden to any political party or creeds that cannot be challenged; she does not have to rush to a high command for clearance before speaking her mind, nor to a fortress in the middle of our bustling city from where editorials pour forth condemning Indians its prejudiced leaders don’t like.

I looked at what she had to offer for Mumbai and I must admit her plan to elevate Mumbai to amazing levels are simply superb. Her five point agenda, popularly called as Punch-A-Mantra talks of

• More Investment for Infrastructure in Mumbai
• A Radically Improved Public Transport System
• Stronger Security
• Systemic Reforms Through the Nagara Raj Bill…
• Directly Elected and Empowered Mayor

This agenda is covered in her Master Plan for Mumbai, which can be downloaded here

If you are living in South Mumbai and you think India needs a new generation of politicians, then go out and vote for people like Meera Sanyal. For once, understand who your true leaders are and vote for them. Meera Sanyal certainly seems to have the leadership qualities and the capabilities to take Mumbai to unseen levels…after all she has been the country head for one of the largest banks in the world.

Meera Sanyal is most definitely my Hope for Mumbai!

Image Credit: Wikimedia

Popularity: 34%