Independent Candidates in Indian Elections

Do Independents Matter?

By Harish Bijoor

Do independents matter at all in elections? If so how and why? Do independents ever stand a chance at all? What’s their role in shaping electoral politics, outcome and representation in the long run?

Many questions. The answers tend to float in the wind most of the time. This time as well. But let me grab at some strand of logic. Some strand of method in the madness that is the independent contesting an election.

The facts first. Karnataka alone will have a total of 400 plus independent candidates fighting the Lok Sabha poll battle 2009. Phase I of polling itself has a total of 226 confirmed independents. Let’s put the national number at 4,000 plus. Records of election after election indicate a climb in the total number of independents fighting elections.

The Lok Sabha elections 2004 saw a total of 2369 independents fighting for 543 constituencies. This out of a total of 5398 candidates in the fray. Add to this the fact that there are small parties that add to the melee. While there are a total of 9 National parties of any significance, as many 220 are registered as political parties and put up candidates who fight on the party ticket and money.

Two more bits of data. In election 2004 the largest number of candidates in the fray were from Chennai or Madras South. A total of 35. And the one guy who made it to the record books with the lowest number of votes polled was the honorable Mr. Ashok Kumar, an independent candidate from Chandni Chowk, Delhi, who polled a royal 45 votes and lost his deposit.

Why do independents fight elections at all then? Is there a rationale to it all? Do independents matter really?

Many reasons. Let me list just a few as usual. The top ones.

1. To make a point: There are people like Meera Sanyal, Mallika Sarabhai and my friend Capt. Gopinath who are renowned people from different walks of life. They just want to make a point. Make a point with a difference. Meera Sanyal will want clean governance and wants to focus on everything that is right. Gopi wants to fight an election without resorting to caste politics and everything else that is considered mucky in the national mainstream of politics, money power included.
2. To showcase a profession: There have been sex-workers, butchers and bus-conductors who have contested in the past. The idea is to showcase their individual professions and the ills that plague their plight.
3. To fight a cause: The idea is to clearly pit your might against a cause altogether. Corruption is a cause celebre for sure. As is terrorism.
4. To split votes: Prominent parties are known to put up candidates to split the opposition’s vote banks. Caste politics plays a major role here. In some cases, gender politics as well.
5. To rebel: The party has not given you a ticket. Never mind. If you truly believe in your worth, pitch in.
6. To gain in sheer publicity terms: Fighting an election is the cheapest and best way to gain publicity. If you are able to mobilize PR, and if you are able to do things differently, this is an excellent and in-expensive way of coming into the public mind-set. Do the right things; say the right things and you are made!
7. To act as a loop-hole candidate for the bigger parties: With election expenditure of individual candidates capped at Rs.25 lakhs, party candidates are known to put up dummy candidates to help them spend more. If you have 4 dummies in your constituency, these are 4 fronts that can claim 25 lakhs each. That’s a neat One crore to spend on the real candidate and his efforts.
8. To win: While the feeling is that all candidates aspire either overtly or covertly to win, there are indeed very very few who know they have a chance in the fiery hell of political battle, normally fought party to party. There are a few who genuinely believe they have a chance. Some in delusion and some with a sense of reality.

Do independents matter really? The very few who get through the fine sieve of party-besotted electoral politics in India have done precious little. Many are known to have sided parties and lost their independent voice. The few have done precious little to date.

Tomorrow is however a different day. There are new issues and new challenges we have here. Possibly an independent will really count in the future. Possibly in the next ten years?

The independent, at the end of it all, is a statement of intent. A very precious statement of intent. Good intent.
Harish Bijoor is a Brand and Political strategy specialist.
Email: ceo@harishbijoorconsults.com
Mobile: 0 98440 83491