Kanhaiya, Ashutosh, Sambit: Why TV's darlings fail electorally

They speak well. They have the gift of the gab. No wonder, television laps them up and so does the audience. But when they contest elections, let alone winning, their vote share is abysmal.

How Kanhaiya & Co failed

The story is true for AIDF activist-turned-Congress leader Kanhaiya Kumar drew a mere 22% votes from the Lok Sabha constituency of Begusarai in the 2019 election. Sambit Patra, a BJP spokesman equally at ease articulating his party's views in Hindi and English, failed to win the Puri seat five years ago. It's true also for Ashutosh (Gupta) who, after a long career in journalism, hogging a lot of TV space, switched to the Aam Aadmi Party but lost the Lok Sabha election from Chandni Chowk in Delhi in 2014.

Shruthi Kumar, a first-generation US college student, received a standing ovation for her speech criticising Harvard University, her alma mater, for what she saw as muzzling pro-Palestine voices. If she makes a foray into politics someday, will she succeed?

Perhaps politics is an altogether different ballgame than mere political talks — as BJP's Giriraj Singh showed Kanhaiya Kumar in Begusarai, BJD's Pinaki Misra showed Sambit Patra in Puri and BJP's Dr Harsh Vardhan showed Ashutosh in Chandni Chowk.