Intellectually onto the Political Expressway...

Freedom Fighters, Patriots, Socialists, Nationalists, joined the political stream and formed the part of formative political horizon; Followed by seasoned Criminals, Opportunists like Liquor Barons, Business Tycoons, and other similar socio-political classes. In small parts the main stream politics still managed to pull into their fold Engineers, Doctors, Economists, Scholars. Though there has been a presence of intellectuals in politics their voice seems to be always softened by the other lot. The Presence of few intellectuals up the chain failed to attract the educated to the seemingly non-glamours, corruption tarnished Political Scenario of the country.
Their seems to be a silent and seemingly interesting transformation in the country. The current generation, though its a minutely small fraction seem to be shoving off the Taboo related to politics and entering mainstream politics; Some Have even taken a step ahead to start off their own Political parties.

Reflecting a emerging trend, one student from IIM-Calcutta is all geared-up to in NDA Prime Ministerial-candidate L K Advani's campaign office this 2009 elections. Another from IIM-Ahmedabad has ambitions of interning with Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi. Ranjan Choudhary of IIM-Calcutta left a plush office and well-paying corporate job in Australia to plunge into the heat and dust of the Indian political arena. While Choudhary joined the Congress party in May 2004 worked with Rahul Gandhi, as a Political Strategist/Analyst. Choudhary joined BJP as he felt the party was not as focussed on youth as presummed to be. The trend could be traced back to Chepuri Krishna who started the trend of IIM students interning with political parties. A student of IIM-A, Chepuri inspired by CPM leader Sitaram Yechury's guest lecture as part of a course on the ‘Indian Social and Political Environment’. went on to intern with the CPM's central office in 2008 and produced a paper on the ‘unorganised workforce in the country’.

While studying, analysing and strategising Political scenarios is one level, entering and fighting it out in the open Political ground is altogether a different level. Emergence of intellectually strengthen and supported parties is a new outcome.

Bharatiya Punarnirman Dal
Formed in December 2006 by alumni of two of India's renowned educational institutions, the Indian Institutes of Management and the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIMs and IITs) with the objective of making “Bharathvarsha a prosperous and powerful nation and re-establish it as the world-leader, a position, which the nation rightfully deserves”.The party is contesting about 40 Lok Sabha Seats under the banner of the Bharatiya Punarnirman Dal (BPD).

Lok Paritran
Paritrana meaning "To bring relief from the cause of distress" in Sanskrit, is a political party. The party was formed in February 2006 by a group of six graduates from IIT Bombay and IIT Kanpur. Lok Paritran was the brainchild of Shri. Chandrashekhar,an Alumnus from IIT Kanpur.

Lok Satta
Perhaps the strongest, oldest Politcal party is the Lok Satta Party from Andhra Pradesh. It's the brain child of Dr.Jaya Prakash Narayan (blog), a former Physician and Civil Servant (IAS Officer) who has quietly built a new political party Lok Satta with a clear motto - new politics for a new generation. Dr. JP Narayan joined the Indian Administrative Service in 1980 in the aftermath of Emergency and the failure of the Janata Experiment. During his nearly 17 years of distinguished public service in various capacities, he acquired a formidable reputation in the State of Andhra Pradesh. Lok Satta the political party is a direct offshoot of Lok Satta Movement which has grass roots from Andhra Pradesh with over 2,50,000 members in it. The Lok Satta Movement was an NGO aimed at creating a suitable environment to realise maximum positive potential through comprehensive reforms in the Indian governance and establish citizen-centered, democratic governance. For the 249 Legislative Assembly seats that the party is contesting, it has nominated 88 BCs, 42 SCs, 15 STs, 10 minorities, 28 women and 1 physically challenged candidate; while its contesting in all 42 seats for the Lok Sabha.

Unlike the former situation the silent revolution has already started, though in its nascence it is slowly but surely becoming stronger by a day. Inspite of parties trying their heart out for change and the candidates not going for costly advertisements which are cleverly camouflaged as news or that sections of the print media chose to virtually black out the party from their columns these political organisation continue to inspire and make indentation into the politics.

Voters should realise that they are the architects of their own destiny and that every vote counts and should not succumb to the poisonous propaganda that a vote to these parties would go waste.
With Vote India, Jago Re and several ways in which the younger generation is taking active interest, I do hope Indian Politics will change, and change for the better and more would be driven by the intellectual crowd.