Chennai: He is a rare candidate contesting in the Tamil Nadu election -a native of Rajasthan. Online commodities trader Krishna Nathani is BJP's nominee making his maiden bid for an assembly seat from the cosmopolitan Harbour constituency , home to voters from various states but one that has always voted a Dravidian party.
The Chennai-born Krishna moved to Kolkata where his father Govindlal was a dealer in machinery and spare parts and studied in the Frank Anthony Public School. He learnt the ropes of Hindutva in the RSS camps he attended. He returned to Chennai where he pursued college and a master's in business economics.
"Businessmen from other states don't enter mainstream politics as they don't want to take on local parties fearing vendetta. I want to change this as our community has business stakes here," said BJP's Chennai central district secretary in fluent Tamil. Union minister for ports and shipping Pon Radhakrishnan flagged off Krishna's campai off Krishna's campaign. In a constituency with an estimated 1.82 lakh voters, about 60,000 are from Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, UP , Bihar, Jharkhand and Bengal.
"Earlier, many did not stir out of their homes to vote but this time they're aware there's a candidate from Rajasthan who can take up their cause," he told TOI.
He is also reaching out to slum dwellers, he says, telling them he is contesting not only to take up their complaints but to implement his vision of developing this settlement that houses bullion and spice markets to a Dubai-like tourist hub.