Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Mumbai Zonal Coordinators

Mumbai had 87 Lakh registered Voters in year 2011.  Normally, voter turn out for elections is about 45%.  This means that about 46 Lakh persons may not be voting at all. This might include non-existent persons, so deducting 10%, we are left with about 42 Lakhs who can be persuaded to vote intelligently.  If even 33% finally come out and vote, AAP could get 14 Lakh votes. 

An analysis of the last National Parliamentary Election shows that the SIX Mumbai Parliamentary Constituencies are represented by those who together received 15.7 Lakh winning votes (average 2.6 Lakh votes per Constituencies) from about 9,500 polling booths for Mumbai.  This is very close to the above number of possible voters, who could be persuaded to vote intelligently instead of sitting out the election process. Thus our Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) must work to garner about 2.6 Lakh votes from about 1,600 polling booths, per Parliamentary Constituency.    

Currently, our 16 Zones of Mumbai must increase their footprint by Voter Registration so that the next election will galvanize 15.7 Citizens to vote for AAP.  It seems each Zone must spread message to about 1.0 Lakh registered voters. The work done by JNM in the past city elections, indicates that the voter:volunteer ratio is about 50.  Using this ratio, it seems each Zone must have 2,000 registered Volunteers servicing  about 590 polling booths. These must on the last day pull in 2,000 Supporters.

These 4,000 Volunteers & Supporters per Zone must be deployed for the following activities come election week and before:  

Polling Booth Volunteer  = 2 x 590 = 1,180 .

Polling Desk Supporters = 3 x 590 = 1,770.

Tail Twisters for Voters  = 1.4 x 590 = 826 (both Volunteers and Supporters).

Voter Contact Vlntrs (before election day)   = 1000 (5 days x 55 per day)  This to be done twice. 

Election Process Admin  Volunteers = 50 (Muni Offices, RO, Police Stn, Complaints, Letters)

Election Process Support =  50 (same as above)

Voter Education Volunteers = 100 (talks at 300 meets in 15 days, 5 Vlntrs x 20 simultaneous meets)

Material Distribution to be done by Voter Contact Vlntrs. 

Total: 1180+600+50+50+100 = 1,980 Volunteers, 1770+226 = 1,996 Supporters.  In addition to the above, some 200 key central IAC-Mumbai Volunteers will be needed to: plan, budget, monitor, administer, counter the political process.  These will have to be representatives from the current 16 Zones.  Further, each Zone must have a minimum of 50 contacts to: plan, monitor, administer and counter the process. 

The five Zonal Coordinators per Zone and six Central Coordinators (from among them), must understand this plan and work to reach the needed goals.  Weekly meetings to encourage the Zonal Volunteers to internalize this plan and to work selflessly for it is the need for the next one year before elections come close. Frequent meetings with possible voters, visits to the housing complexes and buildings, engaging some slums and shops, all these tools are needed to ensure ONE LAKH votes for AAP per Zone.  The work by JNM in the past years, leads the belief that this target is achievable with consistent and persistent work, done selflessly in national interest.  The current month of October has established that all the main existing Political Parties are together on one side and its the Citizens on the other.  These Citizens are the Voters who must be informed to act in their own interest. 

This is a draft and will be revised next month or early December when the AAP is formed.  

JAN AANDOLAN OR JAN POLITICS

My good friend AjayS from Nagpur, many friends and Activists of Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, and other cities have this huge dilemma before them ...
Kya Kare, Jan Aandolan Ya Jan Raajniti?  The Groups they have nurtured need to take 'a stand'.  In fact, a friend PiyushB closely associated with IAC movement, wonders why the IAC national movement is turning towards politics at all. 

My request to all is ... please consider both, they are the two eyes-hands of the same Aam Aadmi.  The Jan Aandolan will monitor, exert with questions for full answers, seek to solve the exposed problems with help of the Aandolan Party, (which will have elected Sevaks to implement the required changes as per our India Constitution).

Activists will be SEVAKS in both avataars, as per their inclinations, participation, skills and competencies. Citizens thus get the FULL MENU for their daily life and struggle. The Jan Aandolan Sevaks will serve as a check on the Aandolan Party Sevaks, those who come for meva and not seva will be identified and set aside in an open manner. The Party Sevaks will take the approval of the concerned citizens of the Constituency, for those who will serve a SINGLE term of elected office, put up such Candidates for election, work as a link between citizens, the Andolankaari's and elected party representative (and engage in Party Management). This close relationship will also prevent any smaller tainted sub-group from hijacking the Jan Aandolan or the Aadolan Party. 

Why must any concerned Activist or Group choose, when they are ENTITLED to both.  More citizens will seek to join this nation building movement, seeing that they have a choice of responsibilities.  This will strengthen participatory democracy in India.  It is only when citizens accept that the current cesspool of India politics CANNOT change for the better that, the conflict of one or the other comes up.  Most concerned citizens will obviously prefer to stay away from politics and expect the dirty-politicians to respond to their demands.  This is NOT HAPPENING, so IAC has taken up the challenge to CLEAN UP the dirty politics and, to do so, some HAVE to join it. 

This has always been my stand and for the past SIX years, JNM has been taking token actions in this direction.  Citizens unknowingly gave up charge of their lives to the current style of politics and now find it does not serve larger interests, so they must themselves come inside and clean it up.  Moynihan famously said politics is too important to be left to the politicians.  So  please guide Volunteers to select one or the other arm as per their ability.  Similar things are found in the Professional and Business world and IAC has to innovate and adapt. 

I see first timers developing skills as Aandolan Volunteers and later as per their abilities, a few joining the Aandolan Party for taking up elected office as a national service for one term.  Thereafter, the Party management work will enable them to use their experience for greater good.  Those who do not go the Party way, will continue to mentor and propagate the Aandolan activities and provide the feedback loop for the Party.  Where is the conflict of interest or the betrayal? 
 

Logo ko jodne ka kaam karo, na ki todne kaa.  Jai Hind!