“I m asking you to believe. Not just in my ability to bring about real change in Washington. I m asking you to believe in yours.”
- Barack Obama.

These were the words echoed when Barack Obama became the 44th President of USA in January this year. He would have never thought that his speech on hope and ability would inspire young politicos in far away Mumbai. As the city gears up for the Lok Sabha elections, several politicians are replicating the Obama card to woo the urban and the educated lot.

“One message which Barack Obama’s campaigns conveyed right from the beginning was how believable he was. There was nothing negative about his campaigns. Rather than demeaning his opponents, he concentrated on his work. It worked for him and he came across to citizens as one of them,” said independent candidate Meera Sanyal who is contesting from Mumbai South constituency.

For BJP candidate from Mumbai North-Central constituency, Mahesh Jethmalani, it is Obama’s “non cynical” attitude which has broken the ice for him. “These days everyone, for whatever reasons, is inspired by Obama and his work. But for me, it is his optimistic attitude that was noticeable. As you grow old, it is natural to give into cynicism, but here is one leader who is willing to give his best to his people, his constituency and ultimately his country without succumbing to cynicism,” said Jethmalani.

Another candidate who is taken away by the Obama wave is Dr Mona Shah from Professionals Party of India (PPI) who thinks Obama’s ability to connect with his audience worked wonders for him. “The people’s movements in most civil societies, including ours, have reached to greater extent. One thing all of us agree is to have a leader who can connect with his audience, listen to their demands and eventually bring out the much needed change,” said Dr Shah.

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