Campaigning is hard work. Real tough.
My friend Sunil Dutt was the most tireless campaigner. He would do long padayatra. He even walked from Mumbai to Punjab to draw attention to ‘terrorism in Punjab’. I remember seeing the bruises on his feet as he lied on the hospital bed in Breach Candy Hospital. He had returned after giving his observations on terrorism in Punjab to the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and how the Congress-led government could tackle the problem.
Dutt never lost an election.
Sanjay Nirupam is another hard working politician. He has risen from the rank. He was a journalist with ‘Indian Express’ when Shiv Sena Chief Bal Thackrey spotted him and got him to edit ‘Dopahar Ka Saamna’. Thackeray also nominated him to Parliament. While other journalists who have been nominated – Khushwant Singh, Pritish Nandy and many more – have never contested and won an elections. Sanjay Nirupam is the only exception. But then he is also a rare Bihari from Shiv Sena who made another successful transition to Congress.
He is a three times MP who is looking at the fourth term.
He lives in my constituency but is the candidate for Mumbai North.
Rakhi Sawant is the candidate for my constituency – the Mumbai North-West constituency. And she is the Vice President of a new party called Rashtriya Aam Party (RAP). There are 1563 parties in India – only 53 are recognized by the Election Commissioner – and RAP is among the latest additions. By a quirk of fate, the HQ of this party is near the building, where I’ve my den. I invited Rakhi here.
Neither Rakhi Sawant nor Krishan Lal Hans, the President of the party knew that I was a journalist and over the last 30 odd years, have met scores of candidates and scores of politicians. But then I know more about Gurudas Kamath (Congress), Gajanan Kirtikar (Shiv
Sena), Mahesh Manjrekar (MNS) and Mayank Gandhi (AAP) than about Rakhi.
I have known Guru since the time he was the President of Youth Congress. I covered his campaign in 1984 and have noted with interest that he has represented Mumbai North-East 5 times and Mumbai North-West the 6th time.
If he wins, this would be the 7th time that he would go to Parliament. He has represented Mumbai North East constituency of Maharashtra in the Lok Sabha five times (1984, 1991, 1998, 2004, and 2009).
Gajanan Kirtikar (SS) would have given him a tough fight but for Mahesh Manjrekar (MNS).
Mahesh is an intelligent, creative and enterprising Maharashtrian. He is filmmaker and an actor. He could even live down the taped conversation between him and Chhota Shakeel. He has a background that would go well with the Marathi voters and may divide the votes of Shiv Sena.
Rakhi Sawant doesn’t like to be told that she might divide the Marathi votes further. She doesn’t look at the candidates from communal point of view. Says she, “None of these candidates care for the poor. Sitting in comfortable homes, we don’t realize how difficult the life is for the real poor.”
Rakhi is working really hard.
Imagine standing with your hands folded and raised high, as you stand in an open jeep, in an endless trek. Talking to voters, rallies, sabhas, being photographed, giving interviews, walking up and down, meeting people…hundreds of them. It is 12 hours of campaign every day.
Her symbol is Mirchi.
If there are people who would vote for Shiv Sena candidate Gajanan Kirtikar as voting for him is like voting for Narendra Modi, there are also people who would look for Bollywood actor-director Mahesh Manjrekar, or Mayank Gandhi or for that matter Gurudas Kamat, there
are also people who would want to elect Rakhi Sawant.
Why, some would even choose NOTA!
*****
by 
