NEW DELHI: In a significant development to scout for young talent in politics, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has announced Shashank Mani Tripathi as its candidate for the Deoria Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh, which is scheduled to go for polls on June 1.
Shashank is an IIT Delhi graduate and the son of the late Lieutenant General, Shriprakash Mani Tripathi, former MP of Deoria. He has stepped into politics after a decade-long work in social sector and and has also been involved in party activities.
This move by the BJP is strategic and aims to counter the opposition narrative of parachuting outsiders into local politics. Shashank will contest against against Akhilesh Pratap Singh of the Congress party, who is nominated under the I.N.D.I. Alliance banner, and Bahujan Samaj Party’s Sandesh Yadav.
With his deep roots in the community and a legacy to uphold, Shashank’s candidacy is poised to make the Deoria seat a battleground of classical ideologies and advanced development visions.
Shashank completed his B.Tech. from IIT Delhi and his MBA from IMD Business school Lausanne, Switzerland. Prior to that, he finished his schooling at Colvin Taluqdars’ College in Lucknow. He is the policy head of the central team of the Bharat Abhiyan. He has authored three books, “Middle of Diamond India,” “Bharat Ek Svarnim Yatra,” and “India: A Journey Through a Healing Civilization,” which have been quite popular. In 2008, Shashank Mani initiated the Jagriti Yatra. He laid the foundation for the Jagriti Enterprise Center Purvanchal in his ancestral village, Barpar, UP. He has also established a call center in Baitalpur.
As on this say, his Jagriti organisation is working to promote entrepreneurship in several districts of Purvanchal (Eastern UP), including Deoria, Kushinagar, Gorakhpur, and Maharajganj.
Speaking with The Sunday Guardian, Shashank Mani said, “I am connected with the roots of my village and live an ordinary life. I still reside in my village and want to give the people of Deoria representation at the Centre.” I have toured approximately 400 villages in Deoria and Kushinagar. The villagers possess immense energy. Their talent and energy is same as Hanumanji’s, but need to be awakened.”
He noted that by advancing the Swavalambi Bharat Abhiyan project, the unemployment issues in Deoria and Kushinagar can be addressed. “I have set up a Hindi-Bhojpuri call center that currently employs 220 people,” he added.
To celebrate India’s 50th year of Independence, Shashank, the founder of Jagriti Yatra and the Jagriti Enterprise Centre-Purvanchal (JECP), organised the “Azad Bharat Rail Yatra” in 1997. This 22-day journey on a specially chartered train offered him invaluable experiences, which he detailed in his book “India: A Journey Through a Healing Civilization,” published by HarperCollins. Building on the success of this initiative, Mani started the Jagriti movement in 2008, launching the annual “Jagriti Yatra” to promote entrepreneurship for nation-building.
Over the past 15 years, this journey has been instrumental in creating a network of 7,000 entrepreneurial leaders across India. Shashank’s Jagriti model has also inspired similar initiatives, such as The Millennial Train Journey in the USA and Ticket-for-Change in France.
Tripathi is popular among the youth in Eastern UP as his entrepreneurial skills have provided them jobs. Due to this he is certain he is getting their support.
Ashish Yadav, a local resident said, “Tripathi’s skills have transformed the area and once he wins from here, we are hopeful that the development discourse in Deoria will change”.