Lucknow, May 14 : While the country speaks of women's rights, there is a political party that claims to fight for men's rights.

The party is called Mera Adhikar Rashtriya Dal (MARD) and was formed in 2009 by a group of men facing legal issues related to the Dowry Prohibition Act and the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act.

Since its inception, the party has contested seven elections, including the 2019 Lok Sabha polls from Varanasi and Lucknow, a by-election in Bangarmau in 2020, and Assembly election from Bareilly, Lucknow North, Bakshi Ka Talab (Lucknow), and Chauri Chaura in 2022.

However, their candidates performed poorly each time, forfeiting their deposit.

Despite these setbacks, MARD is ready for the 2024 general elections, with candidates vying for the Lok Sabha seats in Lucknow, Gorakhpur, and Ranchi.

One of their founders and party president Kapil Mohan Choudhary, who is contesting polls from the Lucknow Lok Sabha seat, is facing a dowry case since 1999 that remains unresolved after 25 years.

"I have two kids from my first marriage, both taken away by my ex-wife. Later, I was falsely accused in dowry and domestic violence cases. While fighting these cases in Lucknow, I met many others facing similar charges in similar situations," says 52-year-old Kapil.

"I got divorced, but the dowry case is still ongoing. To highlight men's rights, we formed a political party," says Kapil, who remarried in 2011.

The party's tagline is 'Mard ko dard hota hai' (Men feel the pain).

Party candidates Sonu Rai and Dhananjay Kumar are in the fray from the Gorakhpur and Ranchi constituencies, respectively.

The party 'MANifesto' has interesting promises, including a 'Ministry of Men's Welfare' and a 'National Commission for Men'.

They also aim to pass a 'Men's Safety Bill' to prevent unfair treatment of men due to laws favouring women and establish a 'Men's Power Line' to assist them with family issues.

The members also want to establish a 'Family Welfare Committee' to handle family issues, implementing laws for child custody after divorce and immediately "halting live-in relationships".

But are they open to women joining their party? "By all means," says Kapil.

"Our aim is to protect men's rights, not infringe on women's."

/IANS