Hyderabad: Bouncers, who are a usually found in pubs and discotheques, with a muscular body have become a common sight with politicians this election season. Demand for bouncers has been going up for some time now.
They have become constant companions for politicians during poll campaigns and provide extra protection in case of any untoward incidents.
According to agencies, there are around 1500 bouncers overall in Hyderabad city now and Gandhi Bhavan alone has hired 16 members to beef up their security strength. Usually, the bouncers are hired as regular employees for film stars and are a common sight for actor turned politician K Pawan Kalyan, founder of Jana Sena.
Many politicians are hiring from private security agencies on a temporary basis by paying an amount of Rs 500 to Rs 1500 each based on their physique and the number of days that they are hired for. In any normal cultural event, they would earn around 'Rs 500 to Rs 1,000, but the demand is more during campaigning, as they have to be on the job 24/7 without the specification of proper time limits for poll campaigns.
Mallikarjuna Rao, from Frontline Security Services, mentioned that some of the politicians from various political parties have approached them and asked about hiring bouncers for more than a month for campaigning. Security services also hire them when there is a demand from parties and event management agencies.
Leaders are hiring them to be safe from bodily harm from unexpected people, though this is not an usual culture but has been on the rise in this season.
Many established candidates are hiring them not only for security, but also as a status symbol, according to some party workers.
The same culture has been prevailing in other states, like Rajasthan. Many political leaders have hired bouncers, but these bouncers are very expensive and are usually paid in thousands.
