Click to play videoJammu: Sunil Dutt is an aspiring politician. Last month, the shopkeeper from Jammu saw an advertisement by the Janata Party in a local newspaper, seeking political candidates to contest elections in Jammu and Kashmir.
Sunil applied immediately. A few phone calls and an interview later, Dutt is now the party’s candidate from Habbakdal constituency in Kashmir.
“I was really happy to see the advertisement in the paper. It gave me a platform to contest polls. I have no political background. I belong to a middle class family. So this was a chance for me,” Dutt says.
For the Janata Party, the newspaper advertisements seemed the only way out. The party, which opened its Jammu office only four years ago and is contesting elections for the first time, is trying to field over 50 candidates through this novel process.
“We first talk to the aspirants over the phone and ask them if they belong to any political party. If everything’s okay, we ask them to their resume across. If they’ve got newspaper clippings or CDs, describing the work they’ve done for the society, we like to look at all those too. We also ensure that they do not have any criminal record,” Janata Party state president Som Nath Dasgotra says.
Thanks to the lure of the political space, applications are pouring in
Even if it does not make a lot of political sense for a lot of first-time candidates, it sure makes some economic sense. As far as the party is concerned, perhaps, winning is not as important as it is to announce its presence.
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