‘Intellectuals’ jump into UP battlefield

KANPUR: Armed with MTech, CA, medical and law degrees, this small team of professionals aims at rooting out corruption through the power of the ballot. They have turned down lucrative job offers and floated the Janraajya Party (JANPA) — to free UP of corrupt politicians, criminal elements and poor governance.

They use ‘Bharat with their names and don’t reveal their caste. One of them, Omendra Bharat, is a BTech (electronics) and MTech (material sciences) from IIT-Kanpur . He is the chief national general secretary of the party, which they claim is a “party of intellectuals, launched by intellectuals” and inspired by people such as Swami Vivekanand. Omendra is contesting from UP’s Kidwai Nagar constituency.

Till now, JANPA has announced eight candidates, including a cancer specialist and an IIT-Roorkee alumni. “Our action shouldn’t be seen as a token of protest. It is rather a beginning for real change. In the last assembly and Lok Sabha polls, we had contested as Bharat Punarnirman Dal, initially started by IITians in December 2006. We have now floated the Janraajya Party,” Omendra said.