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Wednesday, Apr 08, 2009
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Reaching out to women

N.J. Nair

Kerala’s parties find ‘Kudumba samagamoms’an effective way to connect with them

Photo: S. Mahinsha

BJP leader Najma Heptulla arriving to open a women’s meet organised on Tuesday in connection with the campaign for P.K. Krishnadas, BJP candidate for Thiruvananthapuram.

Besides larger platforms like election rallies and corner meetings to address the voters en masse, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the United Democratic Front (UDF) in the State are focussing on family get-togethers to ensure the participation of women in the polling process.

‘Kudumba samagamoms’ or meetings of prominent leaders with families comprising elderly and young women voters have been found to be very effective in getting the message across at the grassroots level.

Unlike public meetings and other functions organised to mobilise mass support, these groups are brought together within the confines of the family. Both fronts have organised a number of such sessions in the run-up to the elections.

Party activists, who find that women are generally reluctant to attend public meetings and rallies, have discovered this is a good way to reach out to them. This is also perceived as effective in reaching out to disinterested voters, mainly women, who have a decisive say in the family and can tilt the balance in every constituency.

Earlier, such sessions were organised at the behest of local leaders. Over the years, the nature of these meetings has undergone a thoroughgoing change. Service organisations of employees in government offices and public sector undertakings are taking the lead in arranging such sessions. Some government offices as well as PSUs in the capital have already conducted them.

“This is the most effective means to reach out to the voters to whom we do not have access otherwise. The leaders are able to take the participants into confidence and address them with more warmth and intimacy. These interactions will bring even the diffident voters to the polling stations,” says P. Anil Kumar, who has been instrumental in organising family meetings.

Even while making a mention of international and national political affairs, everyday issues such as prices are dealt with in depth. The Left parties, especially the CPI(M), were the first to experiment with these small assemblies. Soon, others too realised their potential. Compared to the urban areas, the attendance is higher in the rural areas.

The turnout is not of much concern here: for the leaders it is a workable forum to put across their views in a persuasive manner.

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