The Hindu : National / Elections 2004 : POLL-POURRI

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Friday, Apr 23, 2004

National

National - Elections 2004

POLL-POURRI

Sloganeering

"Bahubali ko crore, dal badloo to lakh, janata ko mila khaak, yehi hai sukhad ahsaas." This catchy slogan seeking to highlight the role of muscle power, money power and defectors, and ridiculing the BJP's "feel-good" factor has been coined by RJD cadres in Barh constituency of Bihar.

Sample this: "Yahan nakad narayan se takkar hai, ek Birla aur ek fakir hai, note dijiye aur vote bhi dijiye." This seeks to convey the message that the JD (U) candidate, Nitish Kumar, is rolling in wealth like a Birla but the RJD candidate is a poor man (fakir) so give your votes as well as notes. The slogans seem to be laced with that extra punch when recited in the local dialect of Magahi.

Making a killing

Most political parties in Bihar have taken to bringing out music cassettes to convey their message in verse to the voters. Clearly the local talent and nearly half-a-dozen recording studios in Patna are also in demand. So are the folk singers in Bhojpuri, Magahi, Maithili and other dialects. A well known qawali singer, Saba Parveen, has released a cassette, lauding the Laloo-Rabri regime and seeking votes for them. Not to be left behind are those selling campaign material such as traditional headgear, banners, posters and handbills. With EVMs set to be used nationwide, shopkeepers have hit upon a novel idea — of preparing a cut-out and fibre glass model of the machine which are being lapped up by the parties to educate voters in the rural areas about the use of the machine. The EVM models are going for anything between Rs. 300 to Rs. 600, complete with lights and buttons.

No second term

Kundgol in Karnataka's Dharwad district has a unique reputation. The voters of this rural constituency have not elected any candidate to the Assembly for a second term since 1967. That year, S.R. Bommai, who later became the Chief Minister and Union Minister, defeated the sitting member belonging to the Congress; Mr. Bommai lost in 1972 to a newcomer. The story continued in the 1983, 1985, 1989 and 1994 elections. M.S. Akki, elected on the Janata Dal ticket in 1994, lost to an independent, C.S. Shivalli, in 1999. Mr. Shivalli later joined the Congress and became an important legislator.

A face-lift

Pitted against a rival nearly half his age, the BJP candidate from the New Delhi Lok Sabha constituency, Jagmohan, has gone for a complete "face-lift" in his publicity material. He has opted for a picture of himself — a la Elvis Presley — that was taken at least 25 year ago. According to sources, however, it is not his choice but that of his wife. "It was his wife who insisted that we use this picture as it was her favourite. Every lady wants her husband to look 18 even if he is 80," a worker said. With the new "image", the 77-year-old sitting MP is trying to give the battle a youth versus youth hue. He accuses his Congress rival, Ajay Maken, of increasing his age by a full three and a half years.

— Vinay Kumar, M. Madan Mohan, Mandira Nayar

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