Citizens, lend me your vote and money

The underdog in Indian elections is the candidate whose nomination paper does not boast astronomical figures in the “assets” column. Now, many such candidates urge voters to “invest” in them — with their money as well as valuable vote.

A big success story in crowd-funding in elections was of Dalit activist Jignesh Mewani in Gujarat. Taking a cue, many candidates in the fray for the May 12 Karnataka elections are turning to the common man to fuel their political journey.

P. Ramesh Chander, an engineer-turned-entrepreneur, is contesting on Swaraj India ticket in Mahadevapura, touted as one of the highest “revenue-generating” constituencies. Taking on the incumbent two-time MLA Aravind Limbavali of the the BJP and A.C. Srinivas of the Congress, Mr. Chander, 41, has set a target of ₹20 lakh and has received ₹44,000 so far.

“Even the ₹5,000 deposit for submitting my nomination was a result of crowd-funding. These people are my investors. They are looking for a change, and there is an obligation and attachment for me to give back as they have invested in me,” he says. An episode that touched his heart, he says, was of a roadside vendor handing over everything that she managed to fetch from her cash box when he was asking for contributions. “She did not even count how much money she was giving me,” he says.

Not just an urban trend

The concept is catching on not just in urban areas. Advocate Sharanappa Sajjihola, 40, Aam Aadmi Party candidate from Gangavathi, says, “The village folk may not know the word ‘crowd-funding’, but the culture of ‘crowd-funding’ is there. We have been working here for over a year-and-a-half, and our campaign is generating positive reactions.”

“Someone has given his two-wheeler for our use. Another person volunteers to fill fuel in it. People are also donating groceries and their services for our campaign, which is another form of crowd-funding,” he says. They have collected ₹1 lakh in cash so far.

Would it not have been easier to take a loan? “I am a common man too. I already have EMIs to pay, loans to repay. If I lose in the elections, I cannot afford to lose everything I have,” says a candidate, requesting anonymity.

In a few cases, debutants have been pitted against political heavyweights. Do they fear losing people’s money if they lose the elections? “I am asking for money to be able to work for the people, give them good governance. It is a small contribution towards a big picture,” a candidate said.

Ravi Krishna Reddy, who is contesting as an Independent from Jayanagar in Bengalure against the incumbent two-time MLA B.N. Vijayakumar and Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy’s daughter Sowmya Reddy started crowd-funding in 2008 and continued that in 2013 and 2014.

“People are funding a movement, honesty and hard work,” he says. Having collected nearly ₹6.2 lakh, he is confident of raising ₹25 lakh. “Back in 2008, 140 people had contributed to my campaign,” he says.