IIM-A graduate and a successful entrepreneur has taken a plunge into politics by contesting the May 13 Lok Sabha polls, with an aim to clear the "silt" of it.
A typical case of rags to riches story, an IIM-A graduate and a successful entrepreneur has taken a plunge into politics by contesting the May 13 Lok Sabha polls, with an aim to clear the "silt" of it.
E Sarath Babu, the proprietor of Food King that has business spread over four states, is an independent candidate from the elite South Chennai constituency and has a vision for
his country -- 'a hunger-free India by another 20 years' where 'unemployment will be non-existent'.
As his campaign managers scamper through the electioneering scheule, Babu, MTV's Youth Icon 2008, said that he envisaged making South Chennai a model constituency.
Asked why he took to politics, Babu said, "politics is also an instrument of service and gives lot of scope for it as compared to a company."
"Instead of remaining an outsider to politics I decided to step into it and clean it of the silt.. someone has to bell the cat.. so I decided to contest the elections," Babu, who
was born in a poor family, said.
However, the IIM-A MBA graduate expressed hope more persons would join in his effort. "By contesting the elections, I want to set an example. For, if there are more such people elected to Parliament, they can compel the government to do good things," he said.
Earlier, the Management graduate rose from a humble beginning selling 'idlis' before getting into the prestigious management school in Ahmedabad and launching his dream company Food King with a small investment of Rs 2,000 in 2006.
Now an inspiring force to many aspiring entrepreneurs, Babu feels that the elected representative should be a voice of the people and not a discord. "If elected,I will connect with the people and be their voice," he said.
However, Babu does not want to reveal his plans for the constituency lest his rivals 'hijack' them. But, job-creation and education for all would be his priority. He is undeterred by the fact that two political heavyweights-- R S Barathy of DMK, also a local man, and BJP state president L Ganesan are trying their fortunes from the constituency, -- as he counts on "the positive response" during campaigning.
With his "committed team" taking care of the company as of now, Babu said he was devoting most of his time to campaigning, claiming he covered nearly 100 temples in the
constituency on Tuesday.
Backed by a young team of volunteers, the entrepreneur is pinning his hopes on young voters and is using all means, including the virtual world, to reach out to them. While Babu has a dedicated website, his campaign managers constantly update the profiles in his blogs and keep him networked on sites such as the Orkut.
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