Election fever: Political consulting firms looking for top talent

Apart from IITs and IIMs, political consulting firms are hiring fresh graduates from TISS, NLU, Delhi University, among other institutions

As the 2024 general elections approach, India's political consulting industry is preparing for the biggest democratic showdown, and they are hiring fresh graduates from top educational institutes like Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)s and Indian Institute of Management (IIM)s, The Economic Times (ET) has reported.

The Lok Sabha elections this time will be preceded by a round of elections in key states, including Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, and Mizoram. This has resulted in a surge in demand for young graduates. The demand is primarily from political consulting firms and various other agencies affiliated with political parties.

The ET report said that there is an estimated demand for more than 20,000 people who could find jobs in policy-related consulting in the upcoming months. I-PAC (Indian Political Action Committee) has openings for campaign and field operations, research and insights, data analytics & technology, and digital communications domains.

Other such organisations include Varahe Analytics, Inclusive Minds, Nation With Namo, and several other small and mid-sized firms, all of which are reported to be looking for young employees to bolster their teams in the run-up to the general elections next year, industry insiders told ET.

Co-founder and director of I-PAC, Pratik Jain was quoted by ET as saying, "I will call it FOMO (fear of missing out) effect. Every MP/MLA today wants a team of his or her own to manage their campaign design, social media presence and digital support, conduct ground-level research, prepare a manifesto, and execution of the entire campaign." "It has become an industry in itself," Jain added.

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Swati initiative, a non-partisan organisation that works in the area of public policy, has received 25-30 requests from members of parliament to assist them with communication and messaging on social media platforms, the report said.

CEO of a consulting company that advises members of the Bharatiya Janata Party across various state-level constituencies said that social media is a great way to connect with people. It enables politicians to tap into local sentiment as well as to convey stories and insights on regional and local issues directly, the CEO told ET.

How much does a team cost to an MP or MLA?

A team of 8-10 members costs anywhere between Rs 5-10 lakh per month for an MP candidate. However, the cost could be much higher in the case of a team consisting of graduates from Tier-one colleges as they work for salaries comparable with large corporate firms.

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Top institutes contributing to political consulting

Apart from IITs and IIMs, I-PAC hires fresh graduates from other premier institutes such as National Law University, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Delhi University, and Jadavpur University, the ET report said. These companies also conduct lateral recruitments with experience as corporate professionals.