April 6, 2007
Political Party of Former IITians for Change in Uttar Pradesh
Lucknow
A political party founded by a group of former students of the
Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) and professionals Friday urged
the people of Uttar Pradesh to rise above religion and caste while
exercising their franchise to elect the state's next assembly.
Bharat Punarnirman Dal (India Rejuvenation Force) president Ajit
Shukla told the media here Friday: "Even if we were to win just one
of the 20-odd seats that we propose to contest this time, we would
prove that even one legislator can make a difference."
"Four of our nominees are already well entrenched in the election
fray in Kanpur, while four others have filed nominations from
different places," he said addressing a press conference on the eve
of the first round of polling in the seven-phased assembly
elections.
The four candidates have filed from Ayodhya, Varanasi, Allahabad and
Barabanki. "Besides we propose to contest four seats in state
capital Lucknow from where I would also be contesting," Shukla said.
While condemning different political parties for using religion or
caste to appeal to voters, the political group with a book as its
poll symbol, has coined its own slogan - "Na dharma pe, na zaat
pe, vote dalo kitab pe" (neither on religion, nor on caste,
please vote for the book).
Shukla claimed that each of his party's nominees were receiving a
positive response. "The youth in particular are showing keen
interest in our candidates who are drawn from different professions
like engineers, lawyers and even self-employed professionals."
Asked how the party was funding its campaign, he said: "Well, we are
concentrating only on a door-to-door campaign and thanks to the
Election Commission's strictness against expenditure, we are able to
run our show with very limited means."
"The group had received about Rs.150,000 through voluntary donations
which should suffice to meet our expenses," he disclosed.
A resident of Deoria district in Eastern Uttar Pradesh, Shukla
passed out of IIT-Mumbai in 2002. After pursuing research for some
time, he took up some assignments with social voluntary groups in
Maharashtra and Chennai. He eventually returned home to "rid UP's
politics of its ills".
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