There is nothing like glamour quotient in politics: a telegenic face can enhance the visibility of a party and infuse a certain freshness in the political landscape. More so, if other faces, especially the men, happen to look jaded, like fugitives from a junkyard.
Shazia Ilmi is apparently not happy with her five minutes of fame in the Aam Aadmi Party and is wistfully eyeing saffron pastures. She had lost by a thin margin last time in R K Puram and had gone hammer and tongs at the BJP in TV studios. But the BJP desperately needs faces to project and seems to develop Alzheimer’s when it comes to pretty ones.
The other name doing the rounds is that of Jaya Prada, who is rumoured to contest against Arvind Kejriwal on a BJP ticket. The last we heard of Jaya was in ‘Dafli Wale Dafli Baja’ in Sargam with Rishi Kapoor. Of course, until recently she was with Samajwadi Party. Amar Singh is apparently passé and Amit Shah the rage.
In these days of 24×7 television, most of us have transformed into news junkies and elections are often fought through proxies and via surrogate debates in TV studios: so what you need are presentable talking heads, the obvious preference being for poster girls and boys. So, at a subconscious level, it all boils down to trivia, such as whether the candidate uses Colgate or Promise, and who has the more glittering smile on the screen.
No wonder, candidates like Jaya Prada are plum pickings for any party, despite their low political denominator. In fact, with a good face to boot, scant attention is paid to the lack of political baggage. The problem arises when political greenhorns get pride of the place on party forums and the old guard have to take the back seat.
Of course, at another plane, it is a welcome breach in what was earlier a male preserve. Women candidates, as they come into their own, are also known to exhibit greater confidence and poise. So, the focus needs to be more on the feminine viewpoint, which could be a refreshing take on most issues. Women candidates are also more likely to take up gender-specific issues and engage in social activism.
But, more often than not, they come under greater scrutiny for sartorial reasons. Even Sonia’s die hard critics will admit few people carry the sari with the same grace and style as her; Mamata’s trademark saris have helped her create a middle class persona, just as Brinda Karat is remembered for her big signature bindi, even though she happens to be one of our more intelligent and articulate politicians.
So, let there be more glamour quotient in politics. But let there be more grace, too. Hope Mamata is listening.
