At a time when major political parties are spending crores of rupees on big-bang poll activities, puny political outfits are fighting it out on shoe-string election budgets ranging from Rs 20,000 to Rs 50,000 -- merely the cost of a scooter.
Most of these recently sprung up small parties say that they fight elections out of "passion" and financial losses suffered by them mean little. Some are even running door-to-door campaigns to raise funds for election campaigns.
Some of the parties, which have recently mushroomed in the run-up to Lok Sabha polls, include Vishva Shakti Party, Braj Vikas Party, Bharat Vishal Party, Poorvanchal Rashtriya Congress, Samyak Parivartan Party and Bharatiya Sarvodaya Kranti Party.
There are around 12-15 such parties contesting for Lok Sabha seats in Delhi alone.
Many of them claim to be active in politics for years now, while some have pulled up their socks and are vying for Lok Sabha seats for the first time in 2014.
Their budgets may be small, but that hasn't stopped them from taking on the big-wigs of the political arena.
Hitherto unknown Jai Maha Bharat Party which has no specific budget of its own, has fielded its candidate Mohd Afaq against Union Law and Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal and BJP's Delhi unit chief Harsh Vardhan from Chandni Chowk area.
"My party has asked me to contest from this area. This is my first time. The party has given me no money to spend. Till date, I have spent Rs 25,000-30,000 approximately from my own pocket. I am using photocopied pamphlets to save money. I am putting my best foot forward to spread awareness about our party's existence," said 49-year-old Afaq.
These small parties and candidates, however, admit their chances of winning are feeble. They maintain that it's the "passion and determination" to change the society that keeps them in the poll fray.
"I know that I can't win the election, not at this stage at least. But I will try to make a difference. I am also well aware of the financial loss I will undergo. But at least I will be able to influence a handful of people," Afaq said.
Shakeel Ahmed, another candidate of the party, says despite losing their security deposit of Rs 25,000 and other expenses going in vain previously, the party never has considered losses a waste, but terms them as struggles.
32-year-old Ahmed, who is eyeing the East Delhi constituency, is up against Sandeep Dikshit (Congress), Mahesh Girri (BJP) and Rajmohan Gandhi (AAP), among others.
