Party offices in city abuzz with aspirants

Tilak Bhavan, the state Congress offices, wears a festive look. In the run-up to the Assembly elections, every day sees a crowd of aspirants waiting at the Bhavan to be interviewed by a panel of state and central-level leaders, who will bequeath the much-wanted party ticket. But it’s not the aspirants alone.

Many of them have a veritable entourage of supporters across the state accompany them to the party office, in a show of solidarity. Most of the supporters don’t realise, however, that their trip may be in vain. Every aspirant gets just three minutes to state his/her case — there is absolutely no time for testimonials from supporters.

For most supporters, it is an overnight journey and a minimum of a three days stay in Mumbai — an expenditure of Rs500-600. “City people won’t understand the value of our presence in Mumbai, why we come here to be with our ‘candidate’. With the state and central government, as well as our local leaders, having waived our farmers’ loans, we owe them at least a month of our time during the elections,” says Siddheshwar Karale, a farmer from Vidarbha. Another supporter from Karkhed, Vidarbha says: “Our womenfolk are running the farms and homes right now. Even they have to understand our commitment to our leaders.”

It’s a similar situation at other party offices. The Sena Bhavan has the air of a secret service office. Sainiks are not being allowed inside without a prior appointment or a phone call. The Bharatiya Janata Party office has been more considerate of supporters. Workers have set up a pandal  where aspirants can come and meet various leaders, though not all of them are vying for a seat.

Among these scores of white-clothed men in most party offices, one can spot a few women in sarees as well. At Tilak Bhavan, these are among the many candidates from Nagpur who have come to seek a seat. Karuna Pendse describes herself as a person who has travelled “from the glamour to the social world”.

She used to run a spa in Nasik, which was inaugurated by actor Priyanka Chopra, and now has one in Nagpur. “I am a social worker. I work with poor women and run a federation of their savings,” she says. “My spa in Nagpur takes care of my expenses. I know it is hard being a woman in politics, but I am prepared for it.”

The person making the best of these times is Shalini Narvekar, who runs an eatery on the Tilak Bhavan campus. Her Marathi thalis, thalipeeth and kande pohe are hot favourites. She makes her way through the busy corridors, with trays piled high with food and beverages, sometimes brushing past former chief ministers. Ask her about the earnings and she says: “In four days, I made Rs25,000. On an average, I sell 2,000 cups of tea a day.”