Walls are off-limits, loudspeakers better not blare too much--- the Election Commission has Bengal's political theatre on a leash. But as they say, you can’t keep a good campaign down. Meet CPM candidate Kanti Ganguly --- whose team of emissaries has helped him cut lose and reach the skies. No, angels haven’t come to the aid of communists---kites have.
Colourful kites, bearing the party symbol and Ganguly's name in bold, are flown in Mathurapur, the constituency where he is contesting.
Three thousand kites took off on the campaign trail from Raidighi New Busstand last week. Once they were high enough, party workers cut the strings to send the kites well and truly on their way. The kites land in various places, spreading Ganguly's poll pitch across his constituency.
"Kites are very popular among villagers. Moreover, they are cheap, easy to get, and an excellent medium for campaigning. This fact has been proved by the tremendous response I've got," Ganguly told the Hindustan Times.
And if the kites were meant to woo landlubbers, a fleet of boats made waves among the fishing community in Mathurapur. Sixty country boats, filled to the brim with party workers, were launched from Denkal ghat. Till the journey to Sital ghat, workers kept up the tempo with slogans and songs. Their efforts paid off. They did manage to impress the bemused fishermen.
The campaign criss-crossed all three elements — sky, water and land. About 1,500 of his supporters, clad in all red, with their T-shirts sporting a beaming Ganguly, hit the streets. Such was the vibrancy of the group, that the local residents had no option but to sit up and take notice.
{{/usCountry}}The campaign criss-crossed all three elements — sky, water and land. About 1,500 of his supporters, clad in all red, with their T-shirts sporting a beaming Ganguly, hit the streets. Such was the vibrancy of the group, that the local residents had no option but to sit up and take notice.
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