Parcha pe charcha, horse drawn carts: Nitish, Lalu's new ways to woo voters

While the RJD has decided to deploy 50 tamtams, the JD-U has hired PM Modi’s former campaign advisor to engage voters and counter the BJP. 

The Bihar election may be months away, but political parties have already geared up their campaign strategy. From rallies and speeches, they are trying to move on to innovative methods to woo the voters.  

In the race to engage the voters, the Rashtriya Janata Dal has decided to deploy 50 tamtams (horse drawn carts) in each constituency, where it can field candidates, to counter its main rival Bharatiya Janata Party in the upcoming assembly election. Party sources said every tamtam would be given the task to roam in 10 panchayats during the poll campaign. Every tamtam would be hired at the rate of Rs 500 per day.

“Cars vroom and drive ahead, ignoring people who are waiting to get a glimpse of their leader,” said RJD chief Lalu Prasad, “Meanwhile, tamtams move slowly and people get a chance to hear our agenda. It would help us connect with the voters. It would also create job opportunities for those driving them and in return they would spread our message of social justice. They will be our messenger for secularism. We don’t have millions and billions like the BJP; our cadre is our real capital. The showy BJP will move in big SUVs on four lane highways, we will move on tamtams on rural roads. These tamtams will help us throw BJP from the ground.”

On the other hand, its collation partner Janata Dal-United took a cue from BJP’s much hyped ‘chai pe charcha’ programme and converted that into its own ‘parcha pe charcha’ initiative. The party has termed it as an open discourse, where party leaders and common public can interact and people give their feedback about the performance of the state government in last 10 years.

A four-page pamphlet has been prepared to showcase Nitish government’s achievement in last 10 year in the fields of law and order, governance, women empowerment, roads, power, etc. A major portion of the pamphlet has been dedicated to highlight how Modi government gone back on its poll promises. The pamphlet will be distributed in “chaupals” organised by the party in every assembly constituency where it intends to field candidates.

The initiative was launched on Wednesday in Patna by Bihar JD-U president Vashist Narayan Singh. The real brain behind this initiative is said to be Prashant Kishor, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s former campaign advisor. 

Kishor has reportedly joined Nitish Kumar’s election campaign earlier this month. He is considered as the brain behind Modi’s much talked about ‘chai pe charcha’ event during the campaigning for 2014 general election. 

Meanwhile, the BJP is still sticking to conventional methods to connect with the people. It plans organising roadshows and door-to-door campaign to showcase the failures of Kumar’s government in last couple of years, after Kumar decided to break away from the National Democratic Alliance.

According to the party sources, the BJP and RSS have already deployed more than 1,500 vehicles and 6,000 workers to cultivate a favourable situation for the saffron party.