TILL A few years back, Ranjan Choudhary was a globe trotting corporate honcho. Today, this graduate from Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow, (IIM-L) is busy strategising how to connect with the people of Mohanlalganj.

This Lok Sabha constituency in Uttar Pradesh may just help Choudhary's entry into politics - he is the BJP's candidate from here. "I plan to leverage the power of information technology to connect better with the masses.

We won't be making unrealistic promises." Choudhary is one among the many IIM-L graduates exploring the possibilities of how "to make a difference" in politics.

Some want to associate with a party; some want to contest or manage election campaigns, and yet others are waiting to test the waters. Annamalai Kuppusamy, a first-year student at IIM-L, is going for an internship next month with the DMDK or the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kalagam, a Tamil Nadu-based party founded in 2005.

"I believe by making the whole process scientific, politics can really serve as an instrument whereby the poor can get what they want and really deserve," said Kuppusamy. His senior, Vaibhav Agarwal, was recently appointed the state convener of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha in UP. He is also working with the BJP's central team on the Advani @ Campus programme.

"I always wanted to join a mainstream political party so that I could revamp the system from within," said Vaibhav. Venkat Lazman, another aspiring politician, says the "entry of criminals and crooks in politics is responsible for erosion of value based politics".