MUMBAI, August 4: To the pessimist, he is the original dunce; to the eternal optmist, Captain Courageous. But to the hard-boiled politician, he is, well, just another annoying detail on the nation's vast pollscape.Die-hard, foolhardy or simply seduced by the caprice of political roulette, that inevitable group of hopefuls, never afraid to cast their lot with the `genuine' netas, are on the threshold of a twin-bonanza - yet again. Express Newsline spoke to those familiar faces, who plan to contest the upcoming parliamentary and Assembly elections, to find out what makes them tick.Says Dr Leo Rebello, a medical practitioner from Kandivli: ``I have realised that however good and earnest a man may be, he has little chance of winning as an Independent candidate. Hence, I shall now contest the LS election on a Congress ticket.''After losing three Assembly elections and three Parliamentary elections since 1978, Dr Rebello is a little jaded. ``It is sad that people still vote non-matriculatesand criminals to power. I hope they will vote for cleaner politicians in the 21st century,'' says Dr Rebello, who had also stood for the country's vice-presidency.For some, their idealism never flails. General Secretary of the Humanist Movement, Lokendra Seth explains: ``We have been contesting everything, from the civic polls to the LS elections since 1986 as the Humanist Party of India (HPI). We believe in giving a positive and humane touch to politics by fielding good candidates.''The HPI, which picks up candidates who fit their bill and enrolls them with the movement, had fielded 33 nominees in the 1996 municipal elections. All of them forfeited their deposits.The party is also unfazed despite last year's increase in the nomination fee, from Rs 300 to Rs 10,000 for the Lok Sabha poll and from Rs 250 to Rs 5,000 for the Assembly election. ``We mainly hold fund-raisers at public places like railway stations and tell people about our mission,'' says Professor Parimal Shah of the HPI.So whypersistence? Counters Shah: ``The Shiv Sena was nothing to reckon with when it was formed in 1966. Now everyone knows how powerful it has become!'' Shah, a college lecturer, says he will contest this year's Parliamentary election from Mumbai North. Never mind that the Bharatiya Janata Party's Ram Naik, who has been returned to the Lok Sabha for four consecutive terms since 1989.The increased fee has, however, deterred another regular loser, Pradeep Bhavnani. ``I have stood for various elections as an Independent candidate since 1992. But now I feel there is a good chance of winning the Legislative Council election from the Graduates Constituency next year.In the 1998, Lok Sabha poll, from the North-East constituency, I had secured 8,700 votes, which is little compared to the massive 4 lakh votes polled for the winner, Gurudas Kamath,'' Bhavnani says.He feels many Independents stand merely to divide and manipulate votes or make a killing from campaign funds. That, according to sitting Samajwadi Partycorporator, Yakub Memon, is why people steer clear of Independent candidates. ``One such person had secured just a single vote against me during the last civic elections; but he will contest again for an Assembly seat,'' Memon remarks. Another incentive, he explains, is the connections people make. He says he knows a fruit-seller who had contested the last Assembly election in 1995 because he thought it would make it easier for him to get a quick telephone connection!On the hike in the nomination fee, Deputy Chief Election Officer, D V Dalvi, says: ``We feel the number of candidates should reduce by a margin of at least 60 per cent.
