Some of the glitterati indeed win elections and find a place in our legislatures, rubbing shoulders with those who have been through the rough and tumble of politics
In another era, politics was the precincts of eager, hard-worked souls who had dedicated themselves to a cause and made all kinds of sacrifices in its furtherance. One look at Parliament or a state Assembly made this clear. The membership of these bodies was typically a roll call of those who had rendered a service to society, politics or community.
With crafty criminals seamlessly making the grade in politics, this ceased to be the case a long time ago. And yet, without the eclipse of this pattern, our own times have come to be marked by another trend as well. The major parties, national entities as well as regional political formations, have shown they have uses for high-profile individuals at election time to fill in as poll candidates, not just as speech makers from their respective forums.
Much of this is glamour quotient, and the presence of film stars and sports stars in the fray has underlined this. Some of the glitterati indeed win elections and find a place in our legislatures, rubbing shoulders with those who have been through the rough and tumble of politics, sometimes even becoming the envy of the latter.
Two prominent and respected names have just surfaced in news reports from Bengaluru. Nandan Nilekani, the former IT czar who is the brain behind the Unique Identification Authority of India, Aadhaar, is said to be getting ready to fight under the Congress flag from a seat in the Karnataka capital. Equally tantalising is the prospect of former cricketing hero Anil Kumble donning BJP-RSS colours. If the reporting is not entirely speculative (neither personality has as yet confirmed an interest in fighting the Lok Sabha poll), names such as these can highlight political quotient, not just glamour.
About 20 years ago, when the star over the Congress had faded and regional parties showed their zeal to be king-makers in the Delhi durbar, the BJP had gone on an all-out bid to bring high-achieving professionals from many spheres into its fold. An announcement a day about famous new recruits became the order of the day. In time to come, other parties also succumbed to this fashion. It is another matter that the stars of India did not mostly show the stamina to stay the course in public life. They had been trapped by its lure but couldn’t generally make a mark.
The Lok Sabha election is still some time away, and the various parties are undoubtedly keeping their secret weapons ready. Mallika Sherawat has just rendered a sweet birthday number in honour of BJP’s PM hopeful Narendra Modi. Might Sherawat be pitchforked as a candidate? We shall know by and by. Exciting times lie ahead.
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