Lok Sabha elections: This candidate crusades for constitutional rights

LUCKNOW: Win or lose, do it fairly, says Girish Narayan Pande, a retired Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer who considers former chief election commissioner T N Seshan his role model and is contesting from Lucknow to educate people on the Indian Constitution.
The 64-year-old candidate with a cause was spotted distributing a self-written booklet, Jago Ganrajya Jago - Samvidhan Katha, while campaigning at Gol Market. The tome of 10 chapters features Panchatantra-like short stories on fundamental rights and duties, directive principles, leadership and justice, among a host of other things.
"Please read the book before you cast your vote. It will make you realise the power of democracy," Pande, the founding president of Sarvodaya Bharat Party, urges a curious crowd gathered around a mini-truck loaded with copies of the book.
After a brief interaction with people at Gol Market, he moves to his next stop. Many take the free book and leave the scene quietly. Some find a conversation with Pande engaging and stay back. "I have never seen a candidate asking people to read the Constitution before casting vote," said an impressed Arush, a first-time voter. "He may be an unknown face, but he should get a fair chance."
Speaking to TOI, Pande said those in power were able to exploit people solely because many were unaware of their rights. The candidate recalled how a chat with Seshan, who was known for his tough poll reforms, inspired the idea to educate people on their constitutional rights.
"I was posted as income tax commissioner in Chennai in 2007-09. He (Seshan) regularly visited the city after retirement. Once he told me that he was able to stop malpractices like booth-capturing, but must know their rights better. His words stirred something inside me. For years, I kept thinking what I could do as an individual to improve things. After retirement in 2014, I started an awareness campaign, wrote the book and entered politics," Pande said.