As many as 50 alumni of the Indian Institutes of Technology have quit their jobs to form a political party to agitate for the rights of members of the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes, PTI reported on Sunday. The group, which has named its party “Bahujan Azad Party”, is waiting for it to be approved by the Election Commission.
“We are a bunch of 50 people, all from different IITs, who have quit our full-time jobs to work for the party,” said Naven Kumar, a 2015 IIT-Delhi graduate. “We have applied to the Election Commission for an approval and are meanwhile doing ground work.”
However, he said the party does not want to contest the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. “We do not wish to do a hurried job and end up being reduced to just one of those small political outfits with big ambitions,” Kumar said. “We will begin with contesting the 2020 Bihar Assembly elections and then aim for the next Lok Sabha polls.”
“Once we have the registration, we will form small units of the party which will start working on the ground for our target groups,” Kumar said. “We also do not wish to pitch ourselves as a rival of any political party or ideology.”
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!