At a time when caste is the determining factor in an election, a 38-year-old doctor is in the fray with several idealistic notions and the topmost among them is to prevent people from asking 'tame keva'. This is a form of questioning that is common across the state of Gujarat only to know a person's caste. In fact, Dr Hitesh Parmar is so adamant about ensuring that caste does not find a place in common conversations that the ballot unit for Ahmedabad East (from where he is contesting) will not carry his surname. The doctor's party symbol — a pencil box — will have his name as Dr Hitesh Mahendrabhai. The doctor, who also sought to not be addressed by his surname in this story, said even his party — Nirbhay Bharteeya Party's — rules make it mandatory for all party members to not tell, ask or reveal their caste in any form. "I have around 125 members for my party and the basic code of conduct states that no person who wishes to be a member can write their surname, tell their surname or even ask about it," said Dr Hitesh, who teaches at the Gujarat Cancer Society. He too admits that he has taken the plunge with nothing but idealism by his side. "I have no funds and I will be using my own money. I will also approach my friends and colleagues to know if they will help me out with some funds," said the candidate, who has not yet started campaigning for the elections despite it being less than a fortnight away. "I will take leave for some days to start campaigning. And I want people to vote on real issues and not on what my caste or someone else's caste is," he said. Ask him what will he promise his voters in return for their votes and Dr Hitesh says, "I am a teacher myself and I am appalled by how education is slowly going out of the reach of the poor. I want to ensure that everyone has a right to it irrespective of their economic status." He admits that both his friends and family are sceptical about his 'independent' foray into politics, but he believes he is here to stay. "In all probability, I may lose my deposit but I will be here to give a tough battle in the next two elections," said Dr Hitesh. Self-Assessment

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