AAP breaks mainstream politics' entry barriers

On Wednesday, former Infosys CFO V Balakrishnan joined Aam Aadmi Party

The Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) spectacular debut in the Delhi elections has not only buoyed the confidence of the party's cadre but also of corporate leaders, who are lining up to join the party. On Wednesday, former chief financial officer and board member of Infosys, V Balakrishnan (Bala) announced his decision to join the party. He could even contest an election on an APP ticket from Karnataka, if the party decides so. Bala joins the likes of Adarsh Shastri, the grandson of former prime minister Lal Bahadur Shashtri, who resigned from his cushy job in Apple to join AAP.

According to experts, the newest party on the block is providing an attractive platform for professionals to realise their ambition of entering mainstream politics. There is a general perception that people with non-political lineage find it very difficult to join a traditional political party, let alone contest elections. With faces such as Bala on-board along with AAP's success in Delhi is expected to prompt more professionals to join the party. Moreover, the trend is also expected to influence the national parties to become more open while choosing their candidates.

N C Saxena, member of the National Advisory Council, said it is believed the route to political power is only “via caste, criminal record or through money”, but AAP has put forward a different kind of values and idealism. The question is not just of whether it is easy or difficult to join the party, it is about the values it projects which people can relate to, Saxena added.

During the course of its one-year old movement, AAP, which has made anti-corruption as its prime agenda, has attracted people from multiple fields. While some have quit their day jobs to join the party, others have supported the movement by lending their expertise and through donations.

Raman Roy, one of the pioneers of the Indian business process outsourcing (BPO) industry, said AAP has demonstrated there can be a professional way to do politics in the country. “The perception is that entering politics is very messy and even if somebody wanted to enter it actively, it will be impossible to get a ticket from a leading political party.” However, AAP has given professionals an opportunity to get their hands dirty. “Professionalising of politics will be a game-changer for India."

 

According to the party, within three days of the Delhi Assembly election results being announced, three lakh people have joined the party. Dilip Pandey, who was Secretary of the Selection Committee in Delhi elections said that the fear of many people about the fortunes of AAP has started fading away that since the party has come to power. “In recent times, we saw people like Sameer Nair, Adarsh Shastri becoming a member of AAP as the party can give them a new identity,” said Pandey, who was employed by an IT firm in Hong Kong before joining the party last year. 

 

Kiran Karnik, an IT industry veteran said an increasing number of professionals joining politics could bring India closer to the trend in developed nations such as the United States where many corporate bigwigs either join the government in administrative roles or even run for elections. “Though it is will be false to pretend that politics in the US is all white, but the sleaziness is far, far less there.” 

 

Founder of media company Bloomberg L.P, Micheal Bloomberg; Mitt Romney co-founder of Bain Capital, and Meg Whitman, current chief of Hewlett Packard are some well-known corporates who have been part of US politics at some point or the other. 

 

"It is a very good movement and will cause a larger change even at the national parties," Karnik added.