Mumbai: Despite empowerment workshops by political parties, casteism and dynastic rule is the norm in ticket distribution. Newcomers take time, explain leaders, while loyalty to families countIN spite of political parties actively hosting empowerment workshops for their party workers, casteism and dynastic rule take an upper hand where ticket distribution is concerned.
The NCP has hosted four prominent political workshops in the state to date, but not a single participant of that workshop can be guaranteed an MP ticket. The case is similar in the Congress as well.
"Workshops only help in grooming personality and speech. But elections are all about winning and losing the seat. Those who come from political backgrounds have prior knowledge of contesting elections so they get preference," clarifies Dinkar Tawde, Secretary, NCP Maharashtra.
"The country is made up of various sects and it helps to have candidates from certain communities who can swing votes rather than just talk of development."
Congress spokesperson Anant Gadgil agrees that though the caste factor plays an important role, the Congress has always given an opportunity to those who show promise. "Newcomers take some time to understand the nuances, so it is often better to appoint those who are well versed with hardcore politics," he adds, informing he doesn't think that political workshops eventually throw up leaders. "We haven't done that kind of study as yet, but leaders are not born in training programmes alone."
"When it comes to the most important electoral segments of this country, namely the women and the minorities, they are always selected or nominated by their party only on the basis of their family name in politics," observes a top Congress functionary, scoffing at Congress scion Rahul Gandhi's recent announcement that 30 per cent seats should be reserved for the youth, whether they win or lose the seat.
"Political workshops and rhetoric will not create young leaders from these two segments. Only political will is important. And that should come from the president of the party, not the lower rung,' he says.
Suman Kolkhar, a former zilla parishad vice president from Bijapur, recalls a case of a woman from her district who actually took on the BJP and asked for a ticket for these MP elections.
"She was eventually asked to leave the party," she says with a dry laugh.
The BJP is quick to add that they have never quite followed dynastic politics in their party and that this election year would see a good mix of the old and the new. "A Sushma Swaraj is her own creation, as are MLAs Shobhatai Phadnavis from Vidharbha and even Rekhatai Dhore from Maval," points out BJP spokesperson for Maharashtra, Madhav Bhandari.
"Leadership comes from public interaction, working at the grassroots and the capacity to stay rooted. Leaders are not born in a day or two. It is a tedious and long process," he says, adding that the BJP has, in the last two years, been hosting a range of political empowerment programmes both at state and zilla levels. "These programmes inform workers of a party's philosophy and give them clarity in their roles. Workshops are needed, but they are not necessarily where leaders come from."
A BJP source, on the condition of anonymity, gives an example of Poonam, Pramod Mahajan's daughter desperately vying for a MP ticket. Chances are she might not get one since she is yet to prove her mettle as a leader. "The party has even denied a ticket to Pankaj, BJP president Rajnath Singh's son," he informs, giving the example of a Smriti Irani who might get ahead politically since she is a name in her own right.
Nirja Mattoo, chairperson for development of corporate citizenship at the S P Jain Institute of Management and Research (SPJIMR), who has been hosting political empowerment programmes for women in the management institute since 2004 for women wings of political parties, points out that managing politics is like managing
any sector, public or private.
"The whole political system needs to be geared towards providing services with efficiency," she adds.
Alpana Painter, president of NCP Mahila wing that has attended three of SPJIMR's workshops, agrees that they might help them raise political awareness, but might not lead to tickets to contest elections. She says, "Being a leader just doesn't only mean getting a ticket and winning elections."
Adds Tawde, "An able candidate for leadership isn't born in air-conditioned workshops, but through aggressive political and social movements and who fights for the rights of people against his own government if need be."
