BackTamil Nadu election: BJP’s Krishna Kumar Nathani keen to make a mark
Nathani is the first non-Dravidian candidate contesting the Harbour seatone of the oldest in Chennai and a stronghold of the Dravidian parties
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Bengaluru/Chennai: Krishna Kumar Nathani knows that the odds are not entirely in his favour. After all, he is the first non-Dravidian candidate contesting the Harbour seat, one of the oldest constituencies in Chennai and a stronghold of the Dravidian parties.
But that has not deterred him from becoming the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) nominee to make a maiden bid for an assembly seat in the upcoming Tamil Nadu polls.
“I understand the problems faced by average middle-class people," said the 39-year-old Rajasthan native, an online commodities trader by profession.
That may not be the only factor that could help him win votes in the key constituency.
“The migrant population is soaring in Tamil Nadu and this is a good way to reach out to the linguistic minority group," political analyst Raveendran Duraisamy said. “There are many North Indians in that area and if they all consolidate, BJP may get considerable votes."
Harbour houses a sizeable population of North Indian traders and has more than 1.82 lakh voters. It has been the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s (DMK) stronghold since 1977. In fact, DMK president M. Karunanidhi won from here to become chief minister for the third time in 1989.
In 2011, however, the DMK lost the seat to All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s (AIADMK) Pazha Karuppiah. The Harbour MLA was relieved of his position early this year in January by AIADMK general secretary J. Jayalalithaa for bringing “disrepute" to the party.
“There are over 60,000 North Indians there," said H. Raja, national secretary of the BJP. “We are definitely a worthy opponent."
A certain segment of the population that is aligned with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh might end up voting for the BJP, but people are happy with the way AIADMK has fared in the past five years, especially on the law and order front, K.S. Sreenivasan, AIADMK’s candidate from the Harbour constituency, said.
“They know the difference between Lok Sabha polls and state assembly elections and as they have significantly benefitted from AIADMK, we have the clear advantage," Sreenivasan added.
Nathani admits that it is not going to be a cakewalk, but is confident about making a difference. “The BJP will make a dent for sure. This is a cosmopolitan constituency and they are very upbeat that one of their own has been given a chance," Nathani said.
No stranger to Chennai
Nathani knows Chennai well. He was born in the city (where his maternal grandparents are based). While he spent most of his childhood and school days in Kolkata, where his father ran a spare parts business, he returned to Chennai to get his master’s in business economics, his first job and eventually start India Bullion, a commodities and forex trading company.
But it was in Kolkata that he first felt the need for a larger sense of purpose in life. The “City of Joy" exposed him to the ideology behind the Hindu nationalist volunteer organisation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh when he attended its camps.
“It is my exposure to this ideology that made me realize I wanted to do something for my motherland," he said, adding that it is often a warped version of the philosophy that gets perpetuated. “It is not about religion at all. It is about the fact that all Indians are equal. There is one nation and one standard law for all people."
Nathani holds Prime Minister Narendra Modi in high regard because he too comes from an ordinary background and has worked his way up. “I never thought about standing (for elections) but they (party workers) wanted me to," he said.
His decision to join politics was not music to his family’s ears.
“I am from a business family. So, at first, my family wasn’t thrilled about me joining politics," he admitted. “But then I told them I come from a management background and where best to manage people and organizations but here?"
He has grand plans for his constituency if he wins.
“This is the sales hub of Chennai. Yet, very little has been done to preserve it," he lamented. “I have visited Dubai many times and noticed that one of the biggest attractions of Old Dubai are the souks there. It is a great way to shop. If we pay attention to development here, this constituency could be a big tourist destination."
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