In Uttar Pradesh, the 'dead' and fraudsters too find a voice

LUCKNOW: Federation of Sabhas, Apni Zindagi Apna Dal, Mritak Sangh, Khas Aadmi Party... names of a few of the many "registered unrecognised" political outfits that keep growing every year. Listed with the Election Commission (EC), they are barely a blip on the poll radar, neither is victory what they aspire for. But they abound, just wanting to mark their presence with quirky names and mottos -from propagating 'honesty' to enrolling only the 'corrupt'.

In 2016, number of parties enrolled with EC was 474, 91 of these based in Lucknow and most likely to contest in this election. In 2007, there were 103 parties, in 2012, 204.

From a party claiming to work for humanity and calling itself the Insaan Raj party , to the Gareeb Raj Party , which claims to empower the poor, all sorts of motives drive these peculiar, if earnest, netas.


Lal Bihari 'Mritak' of the Azamgarh-based Mritak Sangh, is likely to field “officially“ dead men (alive but declared dead in revenue records) on some seats. In 1976, Lal Bihari, now 61, was declared “dead“ by relatives who allegedly grabbed his property . In 1989, he contested against former PM VP Singh to prove he was alive. Ever since, he's been making those who have been similarly declared dead in government records contest polls.

“Some have nuisance value, act as spoilers here and there, but most are in the fray -- driven by political or business ambitions, as a fad, and also for income-tax exemption,“ says a political analyst. Lakhimpur's Khaas Aadmi Party (KhAP), during the 2014 LS elections, invited only the corrupt and fraudsters to join. “Politics of today has no place for honest people,“ says Naresh Singh Bhadauriya, a KhAP functionary .

Another party trying to mark its presence is the Aadhi Aabadi Party for society's neglected 50% -women. Ghaziabad is where Federation of Sabhas and Apni Zindagi Apna Dal are active.