After having identified the target geography, I started fixing up appointments and meetings with people who have lived in the area for more than 10 years. I was very particular about not meeting people I knew and most were references from friends and some contacts given by my family. As I write this on 28th Feb, I have completed about 5 such meetings and have many more in the pipleline. I usually do it on weekends and hope to keep up with this practice right upto the time I contest. It is obviously tough juggling it with a 5.5 day workweek, but what the heck – it is what I dreamt about.
The objective of these meetings was two-fold, first to understand the local / regional /national issues which drive the voting preferences in the Matunga & Dadar area and then to ask people what I needed to do in terms of activities, experience to become a viable alternative and get people to support me. The people I spoke to was in no way a representative sample of the area but definitely gave me good insights which will guide me forward. The key discussion points are summarised below
Issues Driving Voting Preferences of People
(1) Not even 1 of the 5 groups I spoke to, knew the name of their Municipal Corporator and most did not know the MLA as well
(2) The voting preference is very much driven by the National party and people are likely to vote for a particular party because they like Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi or Manmohan Singh and not because of the local issues which Corporators / MLAs are expected to solve
(3) The qualifications and ability of the candidates are absolute non issues and so is their criminal record, only the party they belong to makes a difference (at least in 80% of the cases)
(4) There is negligible awareness of the role of the Corporator and what an effective Corporator can get done for the ward (I will have to start at the basics as the very fundamentals of our electoral system which is the 3 tiers of Government as If people do not understand this, they will not be able to appreciate why I think I can make a difference)
(5) People are more comfortable with the mainstream parties, rather than vote for any good effective independent candidate as the ability of the independent candidate is doubted to get the bureaucratic system to work for them. Some went to the extent of saying that they do not mind working for proven criminals as they are able to get the work done
(6) Civic Issues in the Matunga & Dadar Areas as highlighted in the discussions were the current water problems, traffic problems emanating from the bridge & metro construction, crowding and development of the five garden area and improvement in the condition of roads
(7) The issues at the assembly level are also similar and again the national party drives the voting patterns in most cases – while people are broadly aware they do not know the specific differences between the 3 tiers of Governments which is the Municipal Corporation, State Assemblies and Central Governments
What can I do to present a more viable alternative?
This was a fun discussion where in some cases I was flatly told that I cannot become a viable alternative and not to ruin my life by trying to step into public life
(1) The unanimous response was that you need to join a political party if you have to get support, there is no hope for independent outfits / people
(2) An understanding of the grass-root level issues is necessary and some experience in the constituency is a must. This is required more from the point of showing that you know how to get the system working and have a handle on things in the constituency. The independent candidate will need to put in at least 20 times the effort to get the same result
(3) The nice guy attitude will not work, you need to be brutal and a part of the system to get work done and people know that nice guys may have heaps of good intent but will mostly be ineffective spectators in the political arena – so to put it simply, you do not stand a chance – and no matter what you say, we will not support you
I am just presenting the verbatim comments I received above and am reserving my inferences and interpretations for later, which I will arrive at after speaking to many many more people. However, after this first round of meetings I am definitely more kicked about what I am trying to undertake and think I am approaching it the right way by getting on the ground and speaking to people. The faster my incorrect notions are dispelled the better. I have time on my hand and if necessary 5 to 7 years is a long enough time to change mindsets, however cast in stone the mindsets might be.
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