Karnataka: Uppi's party wants to put electorate at centre of democracy

MANGALURU: Actor Upendra aka ‘Uppi’ to his legion of fans is a self-confessed ‘worker’ on democratic mission. Through his registered non-recognised outfit – Uttama Prajakeeya Party – Uppi wants the 28 candidates that the party is fielding in as many Lok Sabha constituencies in Karnataka to become neither leaders nor servants, but workers who work for salary. And he is hoping to ride in to hearts of voters with is party symbol – Auto rickshaw.

Promoting Vijay Shreenivas, a Bengaluru based travel agency owner, party candidate for DK LS constituency on Wednesday, Uppi said the party is striving to bring in 100% transparency in governance. “Our campaign revolves round a simple pamphlet which seeks demands of the constituents rather than us forcing manifesto down their throats,” he says. “We don’t believe in manifesto that is not sacrosanct and one that is enforceable by law,” he adds.



Unlike candidates of other (political) parties who pour in crores on campaign, Uppi says his candidates at the most may spend a maximum of Rs 50,000 against an upper limit of Rs 75 lakh that EC permits a candidate to spend. “We are here to promote participatory democracy where people tell us their needs, place that before the administration, who draw up budget, an action plan and implement it on the Swiss model of governance,” he said.

Admitting that road he has chosen is unconventional and one that may not find acceptance among voters who are used to ‘assurance driven democracy’, Uppi said he is striving to show in ‘real’ what he has shown through ‘reel’. “We are not driven by vote share politics, but by an idea that people should be true masters of their fate which their elected representatives deliver for larger common good and not by dictates of electoral populism,” he said.

Uttama Prajakeeya Party is not worried about electoral outcome and believes sowing seeds of change with its thought process. “We are not worried about politics of ‘mahaghatbandhan’ for our ‘mahaghatbandhan’ is with electorate across constituencies,” he said, adding the party has no ‘high command’ and is answerable only to the people. The party will not compromise on ethics of striving for people centric governance with their participation, he noted.