Candidates plan community IPL screenings for voters’ time
Pic for representation purpose. (Photo: DC/PTI)
Hyderabad: Campaigning has just begun in Telangana and even before the election fever catches on, the Indian Premier League is taking away the politicians’ thunder. Most candidates are complaining about the “improper timings” of the matches. Although the matches will be played outside India, enthusiasm among fans is very high.
Businessman Dinesh Reddy, who is coordinating candidates’ meetings within housing colonies and enclaves, said, “Meetings in housing colonies and enclaves were planned after 8 pm. But with the IPL matches starting, the members are not showing much interest. They were to be asked to come with their list of problems and they were to be assured that the problems would be sorted out. But with the matches to start, there are hardly people approaching us for the candidate’s time late in the evening.”
Face-to-face interaction for candidates is important as voters can identify with them. So, to reach out to the middle-aged and elderly, these interactions make a difference, explained Mr Raghavendra Reddy, who is managing a portfolio of a candidate in Kukatpally.
The summer heat has already restricted the campaigning to early morning and evening and with the late evening timing taken away by IPL matches, the portfolio managers are being asked to come up with smart ideas.
Zoeb Khan, another manager who has four candidates’ portfolios, said, “Candidates are desperate as the voters now want to know who are the people in their constituency in the fray. If an opportunity to meet is lost, then the voters may get confused and vote for whatever the national parties are portraying. At the local level, candidates are asking for alternatives to attract voters using the medium of cricket.”
Some of them have asked friends and relatives to opt for a non-political person where a gathering could be addressed by staging a “surprise visit”. Communities are also being asked to host late night dinners where huge projectors would be provided so that along with cricket matches, there can be discussions about the candidates.
Birthday parties or marriages are also being used as opportunities for face-to-face interaction. Similarly, SMS updates of cricket will also carry messages from candidates. While the “cricket campaigning” is being tried out, it is a given that the attention of voters will be
divided.
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