Imported vs local maach
The Assamese love fish and politicians liberally use the symbol to fish for votes. Gaurav Gogoi, son of Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, boasted, “You cannot be a good farmer by merely owning a pond. You will have swim deep into the waters to distinguish between a mota (male) and a mahila (female) fish.” Asom Gana Parishad president Prafulla Kumar Mahanta was quick to retort: “Is this what Junior Gogoi has learnt after joining politics?”
Tarun Gogoi, too, added to the fishy debate to corner his opponent and All-India United Democratic Front chief Badruddin Ajmal, who is contesting from Dhubri, but does not live there. “People of Assam are fond of local maach (fish). Do you want chalani mach (imported fish)? Certainly not,” he said. “I am working hard to facilitate local fish for you by raising ponds and schemes so you must reject imported fish,” he added. It was Mr Ajmal’s turn to get even, “You all know very well who is fond of imported fish. Gogoi Saheb is not telling the truth. You know that he keeps imported fish at home.”
The remark silenced Mr Gogoi who realised that the debate was reaching his doorstep. Mr Ajmal was referring to Mr Gogoi’s daughter-in-law who is British.
Kaho na pyaar hai
There are so many filmstars, music directors, singers and celebrities in the fray for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal that it seems to be carnival time. The Mamata Banerjee camp is relying heavily on star power. She has fielded Tollywood superstar Dev from Ghatal in East Midnapore and fading star Moon Moon Sen from neighbouring Bankura. The Bharatiya Janata Party has nominated popular singer Babul Supriyo from the industrial town of Asansol and heavyweight (literally as well as metaphorically) music composer Bappi Lahiri from Serampore. No wonder there is stardust and glamour and song and music in the air.
Dev shoots for a period film, Yodha, in Chandrakona during the day and seeks votes in his constituency in the evening — delivering dialogues from his hit movie, Paglu, on demand. Satabdi Roy who has been re-nominated from her Birbhum constituency has adopted an innovative method for seeking votes. She tells people that they have to shell out money to see her on the silver screen. “But now you can see me in flesh and blood and you do not even have to pay any money. All I am asking for is your vote,” is her favourite line during the campaign.
Babul Supriyo is singing his way into the voters’ hearts. He does not forget to ask them to repeat: Kaho na pyaar hai. And Bappida in his inimitable style sings an old chartbuster: Pyaar manga hai tumhi se na inkaar karo.
The way these celebrities are being mobbed during campaigning is ample proof of the people’s pyaar for them. Whether this love will also translate into votes only time will tell.
Mr omnipresent
Narendra Modi’s publicit
y machine may be in an overdrive nationally, but in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar, the machine has not yet kicked into action. There is not a single Modi hoarding on any of the major thoroughfares in either city. Even outside his home in Gandhinagar, no poster, banner, cutout or hoarding is to be seen. The Bharatiya Janata Party’s swanky new state headquarters, Shree Kamalam, inaugurated last month, has the party flag flutte ring from flag poles — but not a single image of any leader, including Mr Modi, is immediately visible. The image that greets visitors is of “Bharat Mata”. In Vadodara, from where Mr Modi is contesting the elections, however, the scene is very different.
Barely a week since his candidature from the city was announced, the face of Mr Modi smiled out of seemingly endless hoardings on every major road. Most of the hoardings either say welcome to Vadodara, or have him flashing a “V” sign — “V for Vadodara, V for Victory”. Modi products are on view everywhere; cars zoom around with Modi screens to protect them from the Gujarat sun, pens carry his image, even security tape is being produced with his name. The BJP anthem for these elections, with Mr Modi’s taped voice saying, “Main desh nahin jhukne doonga (I will not let the country down)” plays on the local FM radio. BJP party workers have “Modi aane wala hai (Modi is coming)” as their caller tunes. In Vadodara, Mr Modi is omnipresent, and perhaps omnipotent.
Hand or the lotus?
Election does strange things to people. Relationships are broken, loyalties are demolished and new bridges are built. Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Jai Pratap Singh was dumped by the BJP. The party opted for former Congress MP Jagdambika Pal for the Dumariaganj seat. Jai Pratap Singh promptly got a ticket for his wife from the Congress, which could not find a suitable candidate after Jagdambika Pal’s exit. Now the voters are confused because a BJP MLA is seeking votes for the Congress and an ex-Congress MP is seeking votes for the BJP! Harivansh Singh, head of the All-India Kshatriya Mahasabha and a known BJP supporter, has suddenly emerged as the Apna Dal candidate from Pratapgarh. Apna Dal is a Kurmi-based party but now hopes to get the support of Thakurs in Pratapgarh.
Thakurs, meanwhile, are angry over the denial of ticket to BJP’s Moti Singh. In Gonda district, Anand Singh, who lost his ministerial position earlier this month after his son Kirti Vardhan Singh joined the BJP, is still in the SP but is said to be “soft” towards the BJP. The voters in this election, needless to say, are thoroughly confused.
