Democracy Express
राजनीति से लोकनीति
Democracy Express 2022 is a 9 day immersive learning journey across 3 states of West Bengal, Jharkhand and Bihar with 40 young political leaders who will be selected from various states of India. Participants will be exposed to regional and national politics, and also build important political skills such as campaign management, political communication etc.
Aspiring and existing political leaders from all states can apply.
Our vision is to build a community of principled leaders that deepen their understanding of the politics of sarvodaya as an important avenue of public service, imagine an alternative to the status quo in all the different arenas of politics and, find the moral courage to bring revolutionary change to India's politics through a deep understanding of where we are and how we got here.
Program Dates: 5th November to 13th November 2022
Applications for Democracy Express 2022 are now closed.
Why get on this Democracy Express?
The word politics has become stained in today's world - we want to change that.
Elections are getting expensive, there is tough competition within the parties, and minimal interaction between youth and political leaders. There are very few relatable role models in Indian Politics for the youth today.
In this journey, you will...
Understand different pathways to politics
Reclaim politics as an avenue of public service
Build a community of principled leaders
Design and visualize your own political journey
Receive personal mentoring support
Highlights of
Democracy Express 2021
The second cohort of Democracy Express successfully completed its journey on 12th December 2021. We traveled across Telangana, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, to understand regional political realities. This was the second cohort of DE after the inaugural edition of 2019 which happened across 4 states in North India.
In 2021, we received 280+ applications and 35 participants were selected to be part of the cohort. The cohort had representation from 12 states and 11 parties across India.
Our participants travelled to four states, met and interacted with over 12+political leaders across multiple parties and there were 30 learning sessions. The focus of the sessions was on pathways into politics, political ideologies, caste politics, ethics and vision for India
Participants left with an action plan for their political journey, a strong community of peers from multiple political parties, priceless memories and a shared vision for an inclusive India.
Program Highlights
Skills & Knowledge
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Learn about topics like the history of the constitution, political ideologies, caste, political history of India and democracy
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Build skills like election campaign strategy, political communication and political fundraising
Community
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Engage with progressive leaders and unsung heroes within the political landscape, across cities and villages
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Build a diverse network of aspiring future leaders
Inner Work
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Reflect on your political purpose and values in your political journey
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Experience processes like padyatra, shramdaan, community work with a focus on inner transformation
Who is it for?
40 participants | Age 18 - 50 years
We are looking for young political leaders with active on-ground political experience and clear political aspirations. You could be a 1) Party member 2) Student politician 3) Activist 4) Media person 5) In independent political role 6) Specialized political role
Leaders from different parties, states, genders and social backgrounds are encouraged to apply. Please note that this program will be conducted in Hindi. Hence, proficiency in Hindi (comprehension and conversational) is a must.
There are 2 rounds (Application form and video interview) in the application process.
Speakers of Democracy Express
Anandiben Patel
Governor, UP (BJP)
Prof. Ankur Sarin
IIM- Ahmedabad
Amul Bhatt
Chairperson,
AMC (BJP)
Aparna Mathur
Founder GLOW
We The People
Atishi
MLA, Delhi (AAP)
Fees & Contribution
Our sincere intention is to make this program accessible to everyone, irrespective of socio-economic status.
The program cost is 40,000 INR. Each participant is expected to contribute a between 10,000-40,000 INR based on their capacity. We operate on a trust based model that each participant will contribute according to their capacity.
Our sincere intention is to make this valuable program accessible to everyone, irrespective of socio-economic status. We provide generous scholarships for those who do not have the financial capacity to contribute for the program. Don’t hold yourself back from applying due to financial reasons.
We provide special scholarships to women and people from marginalized communities.
The selection process only looks at merit and potential of each candidate. If you are right for this program, we will collectively figure out how to find resources to support your learning.
East India Edition 2022
Democracy Express 2022 will travel through three very distinct states of West Bengal, Jharkhand and Bihar
People from all states can apply
Each of these states have a very unique way of doing politics, our participants will get first hand experience of that special brand of South Indian politics.