BENGALURU: The state will see candidates from at least 12 infant political parties contest the Assembly elections. All these parties are registered but unrecognised by the Election Commission of India (ECI).
In India, there are seven national parties, 24 regional parties and 20,144 registered but non-recognised parties.
In Karnataka, apart from these seven national parties and one regional party, there are 68 parties which are registered but not recognised by the ECI. Of these 68, interestingly, 12 have emerged only in the last six to
seven months.
These newborn parties have been launched by individuals who have been in the news such as Kannada actor Upendra’s Karnataka Prajnavantha Janata Party (KPJP), former DySP Anupama Shenoy’s Bharatiya Janashakti Congress (BJC) and Varthur Prakash’s Namma Congress Party (NCP). Upendra, however, quit KPJP due to differences with other members and will form Uttama Prajaakeeya Party (UPP) to contest the general election. Though KPJP was initially planning to field candidates from 224 constituencies, they are now not so sure.
Anupama Shenoy, who is contesting from Kapu in Udupi, is fielding candidates in 30 Assembly constituencies in Coastal and North Karnataka.
According to political scientist Prof Sandeep Shastri, over a period of time, the ECI has made it more attractive for candidates to contest from political parties than as independents. An independent candidate does not get the perks of a party candidate.
Candidates from single-person parties, on winning from a constituency, can easily merge with a bigger party. But independents, even if they win, cannot do so.
In 1996, Madhav Rao Scindia, who contested from his party Madhya Pradesh Congress Party, merged with Indian National Congress after he won the election. Had he won as an independent, he could not have done this.
A senior leader from the Congress said that such smaller parties are usually launched by candidates who are denied tickets by bigger political parties.
“This will not help them win, but it will make an impact on the party he or she has left as that candidate would be able to take along a section of voters. This often helps the rival party candidates,” he said.
THE NEWBORNS
Bharathiya Rashtriya Mahila Party
Sarvodya Congress
Samanya Janatha Party
Bharatiya Janashakti Congress
Namma Congress Party
Jana Samanya Paksha
Praja Parivarthana Party
Bharatiya Praja Kalyana Party
Karnataka Prajnavantha Janatha Party
Uttama Prajaakeeya Party
Rabi Chennamma Party
Karnataka Praja Party