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UP polls: BJP launches video of campaign song on lines of Manike Mage Hithe
UP polls: The new song shows the BJP, besides OBC and dalit leaders of its allies in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh talking about various schemes of the Narendra Modi and Yogi Adityanath governments
For the UP polls, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has launched the video of a new promotional campaign song, made on the lines of the viral Sri Lankan ditty “Manike Mage Hithe”.
The new song shows the BJP, besides OBC and dalit leaders of its allies in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh talking about various schemes of the Narendra Modi and Yogi Adityanath governments. It reminds voters of “goondaraj aur bhrastachar (crime and corruption)” in previous regimes.
The reference to “goondaraj aur bhrastachar” is tactical as it features in almost all of BJP campaigns. These were the major themes during the party’s 2017 campaign when it replaced the Samajwadi Party (SP) and came to power with its biggest-ever haul of 312 assembly seats in the 403-member UP assembly.
The BJP’s latest campaign song, being widely shared by party leaders, opens to foot-tapping music and lyrics that start with “janata hai janardan (people are gods)”. It goads the voters to remember the party’s symbol “lotus” while going to vote.
The seven-phase UP assembly polls will begin on February 10. In the absence of rallies, road shows and rath yatras that have been banned by the election commission to check the spread of Covid-19, all political parties have fallen back on virtual campaigns and door-to-door campaigning.
“Our latest promotional video is a virtually like an entire campaign condensed into a two- minute song. So, this song provides a quick recap and campaign focus,” said Manish Dixit, BJP’s media in-charge in UP.
Showing video clips of Prime Minister Narendra Modi washing the feet of sanitation workers in Kumbh and greeting them with a flower shower during the inauguration of the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor in Kashi, the campaign song appeals to the voter with “bhool nahi jaana re (don’t forget us)” line.
Through montages, recent happenings like income tax raid on politicians and recovery of big cash, that led to BJP and SP sparring at each other over, are established.
The song has reference to backwards, dalits, farmers and women and BJP leaders state that more such songs would be launched soon.
“Usually, allies don’t feature in such videos. But, here BJP’s OBC allies Anupriya Patel and Sanjay Nishad of Apna Dal (Sonelal) and Nishad Party, respectively, figure in the video. That is one novelty and maybe it is to balance the recent mini exodus of OBC leaders away from BJP. But irrespective of the reasons, I am personally happy at the fact that all parties are now using music videos to connect with voters. This musical outreach is soothing to the ears,” says Irshad Ilmi, a political expert.
“This song virtually says everything that we are telling the voters, including reminding them to not fall into the trap of opposition parties who are out to mislead the voters,” says Dixit. The BJP and its supporters have so far launched several musical video campaigns. There are a few that are personality based like “Yogi bahut zaroori hai (Yogi is quite necessary)” and “Ujiyara hai charon taraf andher na koi, Yogi jaisa UP mein sher na koi (It is all lit up everywhere and there is no darkness anywhere. Yogi ji is a lion and there is none like him).”
One of them is a six-minute song “Aayenge to Yogi hi (Yogi will come for sure)” sung by prominent Bhojpuri singer Dinesh Lal Yadav aka ‘Nirahua’ who had unsuccessfully contested the 2019 Lok Sabha polls on the BJP ticket against Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav. This song has garnered millions of hits. Now, as the polling dates near and opposition steps up the heat, the campaign songs are becoming more issue-based, say party leaders.
