HOW THE HUMBLE KARYAKARTA IS THE BEDROCK OF CAMPAIGNS
Once known as the ‘pir, bawarchi, bhisti and khar’ of politics, they are the crucial link between people and parties
MUMBAI: Elections without a karyakarta is like ‘Hamlet’ without the Prince of Denmark. The faceless man keeps the poll juggernaut moving evenly on the path of democracy. “In India the political activist is a tenuous link between people and the larger political system,” said Ramesh Oza, Gujarati writer and political commentator, a former karyakarta of the Jayaprakash Narayan-led Chhatra Yuva Sangharsha Vahini of the 1970s.
Come elections and the dyed-in-the-wool karyakarta comes into his own. “A good karyakarta would never stand on formalities. He dives straight into the water,” said Anil Parab, senior Shiv Sena (UBT) functionary and former minister. Multi-tasking and long working hours go to make a hands-on political worker, Parab added.
“There are too many things to do— preparing the daily statement of expenditure to be submitted to the election commission; necessary permissions from the civic authorities and the police; mapping out routes for the candidate’s ‘ padayatras’; mass contact drive and so forth,” said Parag Chavan, the Shiv Sena’s (UBT) deputy vibhag pramukh for the Sewri assembly pocket borough, which is part of the Mumbai South Lok Sabha constituency.
Chavan belongs to the Sena’s timetested karyakarta tradition honed to near perfection by Sthaneeya Lokadhikar Samiti, the party’s flagship trade union. The Sena draws great comfort from the fact that while party seniors defected to the Shinde Sena, the 2022 rebellion hardly affected its rank and file—the ubiquitous karyakarta.
This explains why ideology still triggers the imagination of many karyakartas. Faith in the party’s political agenda or charismatic leader prompts a karyakarta to join the bandwagon. They don’t expect money. A tiny allowance is distributed to party workers from time to time, though, said political observers.
Meanwhile, persuading voters to reach the nearest polling booth amidst punishing heat wave will be a tough task. Panha and Bisleri bottles are much in demand. Also, vada paav and the good old ‘cutting chai’ continues to draw political workers to wayside tapris across Mumbai. Crumpled kurta-pyjama of the hazy 1970s have given way to jeans and T-shirt, while the humble cycle has been replaced by a sleek motorbike.
“The post-2010 political worker is techno-savvy and watches news channels. He can argue with a senior police official on legal matters,” said Nayan Kadam, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena general secretary.
“A sizeable chunk of the urban youth is enamoured of politics as it empowers them in the Maximum City. Second, election is fun—making new friends and bonding with the local citizenry, much back slapping and high fives,” said political commentator Vyankatesh Iyer.
Alap Phadke, a senior manager in a four-star hotel in south Mumbai, keeps in touch with friends in politics. “They give me an insider’s view of the power play at local level. I find it fascinating, almost like an OTT script,” said Phadke.
As election enters the last phase the leader-karyakarta bond deepens. A rough-and-ready politician, Kadam was pleasantly surprised on seeing a suave Goyal laughing heartily and patting karyakartas on the back during a recent padayatra at Gorai. While Gaikwad strikes an immediate rapport with female party activists, lawyer-turnedpolitician Ujjwal Nikam is learning the ropes with help from BJP workers.
Party workers are quick to mint a new name for the candidate: Nikam has been re-christened as ‘Vakil Babu’, while Sanjay Dina Patil, the Mahayuti nominee for Mumbai north east, is ‘aapla bhau’ (our brother). Mihir Kotecha, the BJP candidate in the same constituency, is just ‘bhai’. Gaikwad is ‘didi’ to her followers.
Most political workers of the Sena extract are known by monickers such as Pakya, Vinya and, this is slightly unparliamentary, ‘gotya’.
On the flip side, ambition and avarice keep lurking in the wings. “A clever karyakarta makes good money during elections by tapping the right sources. Netas promptly rope them in as backroom boys,” Iyer added. Soon, the Smart Alecs are seen moving around in Mercs, flaunting heavy gold chains and rings.
The loyalists soldier on mastering new work skills. Technology has altered the scope and style of poll campaigns. Most poll offices have a social media team, and mobiles keep buzzing all through the day.
“Earlier, a karyakarta would have to write out voters’ slips. Now everything is digitised. Most permissions can be obtained online,” said Sujay Patki, a senior Thane BJP functionary.
Women’s participation in poll management has, happily, gone up in recent years. “We do not lag behind our male counterparts in any way. In fact, women work with greater discipline and planning—and sensitivity,” said Nirmala Belsare, a Congress sympathiser.
Ulka Vishwasrao, a Ruia college graduate and senior BJP functionary in charge of the Rajapur tehsil, shuttles between Mumbai and the sea-swept constituency thrice a week, striking a balance between family and her appointment with coastal villages many of which lack mobile connectivity.
Often described good humouredly as the ‘pir, bawarchi, bhisti and khar’ of politics, karyakartas cannot be shooed away as humble drawers of water and hewers of woods. “They are the Zubin Mehtas of the great Indian poll orchestra. Much depends on their planning and time management skills and organisational ability. They have to know a bit of everything—law, politics, media, psychology and sociology,” said Vivek Surve, a political analyst.