Floats political party; targets educated, urban middle class in major cities

Alka Kshirsagar

Running companies to playing a role in running the country may not have been the most logical progression, but a band of professionals with successful careers in the corporate world believe that this is the road to good governance.

To facilitate the transition from business heads to managers in the political arena, the 20-strong group has recently floated the Professionals Party of India (PPI).

Headquartered in Pune and registered with the Election Commisision of India under the Representation of People Act this August, the PPI intends to field 10 candidates under its banner during the 2009 Lok Sabha elections.

GROUP OF ‘PROFESSIONALS’

“The PPI is not a personality-driven endeavour. It is driven by progressive minded professionals, “ emphasises Mr. R. V. Krishnan, Managing Director of a market research and management consultancy firm and President of the fledgling political entity.

The chemical engineer, who had a long stint with Thermax before he set up his enterprise, believes that it is time that qualified professionals – hapless and helpless bystanders to the mismanagement in the affairs of the country – became more pro-active in governance.

URBAN GROUND

The main constituency for the PPI is the educated urban middle class living in the four metros, 24 state capitals, 20 Tier-1 and 12 Tier-2 cities.

“This group is 250-300 million strong. Even if half of them are voters and a quarter of those eligible to vote cast their vote, it will make a huge difference”, asserts Mr. Krishnakumar Iyer, CEO, MindIT, and PPI’s spokesperson.

The party has identified the Internet and SMS as effective but low-cost communication channels to reach its voter base. It lists achievement, visibility and clean track record as required qualifications for eligible candidates.

With five chapters in Pune, Navi Mumbai, Nashik, Chennai and Bangalore and as many more in Valsad, Faridabad and Aurangabad in the offing, the PPI’s foray into the political arena is catching on.

“Over 10000 people from all walks of life have registered on our web site” adding that the list of supporters is growing and has especially gained momentum after the recent Mumbai terror attacks.