Like the Lok Sabha elections, which saw multi-cornered contest in Mumbai with many high-profile independent candidates in the fray, next month’s Assembly elections too will give voters several choices apart from the mainstream political parties.

Civic activist Hansel D’Souza, chairman of the Juhu Citizens’ Welfare Group (JCWG), is the citizens’ consensus candidate for Andheri (West), while at least two independent social movement groups have announced a decision to contest various seats.

The Professionals Party of India, which fielded two candidates in the Lok Sabha elections, is looking for Assembly candidates. The Lok Satta Party, which contested the Lok Sabha elections from Andhra Pradesh, will now field Dr Jalinder Adsule from Mumbai’s Vandre (East). Dr Adsule, a professor for social work at Nirmala Niketan college, was earlier with the Samajwadi Party.

“We are also weighing options in Satara, Aurangabad and Kalyan; we have been contacted by good people. We are looking at people with good educational qualifications, leadership qualities and no criminal record,” said Surendra Srivatsava, Maharashtra Lok Satta Party president.

“I believe in the need of educated people to enter politics to be able to end the tradition of centralised decision-making in political parties. People should have a choice of good educated candidates in politics,” said Adsule, who has already begun door-to-door campaigns in Bandra.

The Rashtravadi Janata Party, based in Thane, has also announced that it is likely to contest 111 Assembly seats and is in the process of shortlisting candidates.

The Professionals Party of India has a top-down approach that believes in changes at parliamentary level with a trickle-down effect, but it is now looking at the Assembly elections.

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