Good idea this mock election. May be this can be used this as a unique way of protest or showing public opinion. I am thinking such events as a single day public opinion picking, or referandum. Print a ballot, publicize the event, and get los of signatures or preferences on paper, could be powerful.

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Well, the elections happened. And, the LokSatta Party was declared elected. To view more pictures, click here

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I wished to attend & vote for Loksatta too :) but due to a clash in timings with our society AGM, I could not make it.

I hope this event gets sufficient coverage from the press. The common citizen makes a hue & cry about roads & flyovers, but doesn't care enough for participatory democracy. No wonder the govt is able to postpone BBMP elections as they like.

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 I am feeling bad about not being able to come. We had a GBM in our apartment complex addressing rather pressing issues.  Had to cast a few votes here!  Here is to some of the extremely qualified Lok Satta candidates winning in the BBMP elections.

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Lets hope Loksatta can be the change we want to see and get some serious seats when the real deal happens

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IDS - the real deal would be if Lok Satta like new party wins and comes to power. We have all seen the promising new parties in past. I still remember how emotional my middle class dad and all his friends were when V P Singh rode a wave of clean-liness to power. I heard similar tales from 1976 JP Narayan days. And we have seen how the party with a difference is struggling to stay different.

My learning from over two decades of observations is simple. Its not the parties or politics or leaders killing our nation or cities. Its us, our indifference, our propensity to keep our hands clean, our obduracy to neither lead nor follow, and refusal to look and care beyond the unit called family or extended family. A simple case of getting what is deserved.

Regardless. My opinions are purely mine. Wish Lok Satta all the best. What I like about them is this line in their "about us" statement - political parties are the only way to engage and participate. (with exception of casting your votes of course). The so called "Civil Society" needs to "get in", and perhaps Lok Satta could be that entry point if choice is a problem.

Wish LS all the best.

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@silkboard - i agree with your skepticism. And sometimes i fear LokSatta is just JP and only JP. He is the only face of the party. Its popular only among the educated middle class and the masses hardly know about it. But its a new party, hopefully they will change and also change things for the better.
Most "Civil Society" and "RWAs" i know are just rehabilitation centers for the old and the retired with high egos and lost powers - obviously there are exceptions (people plz dont attack me now). The Civil Society can meaningfully bring about a change only when the younger generation actively gets involved. Thats where i feel LokSatta will be able to make the difference - my best wishes to them. Even if they can put 2 candidates into the council this year it will a job well done.

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Politics in India is a tough balancing act. It is very evident that those that are better off, such as the middle classes do not pay much attention & do not participate enough, but expect & make demands for what enhances their own quality of life. An offshoot of this is that they believe what they demand to be the best for the country as a whole. Amidst this class are the ones that have potential to bring in businesses & increase employment opportunities - thus, politicians cannot afford to ignore them.

Those who are less fortunate (the proletariats, or aam aadmis) are the ones that participate & vote, mostly due to compulsions, & whose expectations are vastly different since their basic needs remain unfulfilled. Hence, all sloganeering is dominated by such demands since they vote in large numbers & decide the outcomes.

Though these variations are to be expected in a diverse society such as ours, the quality of leaders emerging out of this has been pathetic, even after decades.

Thus, I would endorse any new entrant into the field with the hope that some change might occur. Loksatta appears very promising & I was very impressed after watching JPN's videos (courtesy Sanjay for links).

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good show, Sir! Had I known earlier, I would have come too. My vote will be for Loksatta

Chandru

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@ Ritesh - Even in a democracy, you need to have leaders, and good ones amongst them are always at a premium. I chanced upon Dr JP's writings a few years back, after reading of which I decided to formally join LokSatta, even when it was just an NGO, and have been reading Dr JP's writings regularly since then. So, my decision to join LokSatta was very much an informed decision, seeing it clearly as a party led by a visionary, no less.

Well, he may be the only leader of stature in the party as of today. But, that's only because the party is still taking its baby steps. But, very clearly, concepts like inner party democracy, decentralisation, nurturing of leadership, etc, are paramount to the party, and these came out clearly when Dr JP addressed the Bangalore members about a month back.

Most "Civil Society" and "RWAs" i know are just rehabilitation centers for the old and the retired with high egos and lost powers - obviously there are exceptions (people plz dont attack me now). The Civil Society can meaningfully bring about a change only when the younger generation actively gets involved.

I take the hint, though I can't turn the clock back for myself now :(((. But, we already have a fair number of youngsters as members (including our own Sanjay), without whose enthusistic involvement we couldn't have carried out shows like the 'mock election'. So, whenever you are ready to join, let me be the first to welcome you.

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 I have to disagree with Ritesh.  Granted, JP is a big piece of Lok Satta at this time.  Especially, on the public front (as a spokesperson).  This question actually has been raised at the public interactions JP had in Bangalore.  His honest answer was to say that right now, the press is interested in an interview or a Lok Satta talking point only when JP speaks to them.  So JP remains the public face of Lok Satta. However, this should change in due course.  It will take a few years tough.

Right now, I am glad to have JP in charge.  As Murali sir said, he is a visionary.  The man has thought about various issues at several levels of abstraction which really blew me away. I do not agree with everything he says, but overall, It is rare to meet leaders like that in Indian politics.  Additionally, he is a bit of an idealist, which I feel helps Lok Satta stick to a more principled stand when temptations abound. He also comes across as surprisingly realistic when it comes to the state of the party or the strengths and weaknesses of Lok Satta.

In my experience as an executive member (which is a fancy term for member), the Karnataka state unit functions autonomously.  There are no orders from some HQ to do this and that. I am sure other state units are like that.  So in that sense... Lok Satta is not just JP.

What surprises me is that I thought that this party is a perfect vehicle for most people I find here on PRAJA, but not many prajagalu are members.  The reasoning is mainly because most of us here are practical people who want a functional government.  I find the divide in many countries between left wing and right wing / or big government and small government a little dated.  We all want a "working" government.  A government that is involved where it has to be involved and not involved where it does not have to be involved and willing to change depending on what works well.

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