Parties of the dead, the bad and the manly

LUCKNOW: Elections are about vote quests and myriad pledges. But one UP party promises what no other does. It calls itself a powerful platform for scamsters.

Lakhimpur's Khas Aadmi Party (KhAP) welcomes the corrupt with open arms. "We have done the rounds of Congress, BJP, SP and BSP offices in Lakhimpur and left word that they should send all swindlers to us," Naresh Singh Bhadauriya, a senior KhAP functionary says.

"So far, we have enlisted about 15-20 dedicated supporters who'll campaign aggressively for the party." Naresh says he will contest from Amethi and Lakhimpur and promises a stiff challenge to the most corrupt in the fray.

Azamgarh is home to Lal Bihari, who wears his title - "Mritak" - on his sleeves. He belongs to the Mritak Sangh, a formation that champions the cause of the living dead. Bihari says his party will field a candidate against Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Declared dead in 1976, Lal Bihari, 59, contested against former PM V P Singh in 1989. "We, the association of living men declared dead.. will contest 10 LS seats. I'll fight from Azamgarh. Ram Avatar Yadav will challenge Mulayam." Ram Avatar was declared dead by corrupt government officials to grab his property.

The Gareeb Aadmi Party (GAP) is a platform for people disillusioned with AAP. GAP convener Shyam Bhartiya says: "We will contest all seven Delhi LS seats besides Ghaziabad and Gautam Budh Nagar."

At a time when big parties are struggling over alliances, the National Coalition for Men got cobbled together easily. Fifty-odd organizations came together to champion the rights of men. They have threatened to form a party if their demands are not addressed. These "harassed" men have also released what they call a "Men-i-Festo". The Indian Oceanic Party says it represents the widest cross-section of people and will contest 441 seats.