India Against Corruption to enter electoral fray?

New Delhi: Nine days after their fast, anti-corruption activist members of India against Corruption (IAC), unofficially called Team Anna, are slated to end their agitation on Friday at 5 pm. This comes after Team Anna made a dramatic announcement of giving the country a political alternative on Thursday. The announcement came after Arvind Kejriwal presented the idea as a referendum to those gathered at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi, on Thursday.

This has already led to people speculating whether IAC members have decided to give a political turn to their movement by joining electoral politics.

Inspired by Hong Kong's Independent Commission Against Corruption, it was formed to demand comprehensive reforms of anti-corruption laws in India and passage of the Jan Lokpal Bil in Parliament. Its leaders, including Anna Hazare, Arvind Kejriwal, Kiran Bedi etc, held a series of agitations in 2011 which gathered good support from many sections of the society.

Speculations mount after IAC members made a dramatic announcement of giving the country a political alternative on Thursday.

India, over the past many years, has been rocked by periodic exposes of scams and financial irregularities by those in powerful administrative and legislative positions. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has come under severe pressure for failing to shepard his team of ministers in spite of having an impeccably incorruptible image.

However, their agitation programme of 2012 has failed to draw the numbers that they drew in the Ramlila Grounds in 2011. Many observers feel that apart from the health concerns, this is one of the reasons why IAC members have decided to end the fast and may have decided to go to people directly via electoral politics.

In case they do enter the political fray, will they name their party IAC? One has to wait and watch.

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