E-Paper
Parties, candidates eye festival of colours to connect with voters
However, no political party has disclosed its strategy for attracting voters during the festival of colours for fear of the model code of conduct, which came into effect when the poll dates were announced.
Holi being so close to the Lok Sabha elections, the festival of colours has come in handy for political parties and candidates, who are looking to utilise the festive mood to woo voters in their respective constituencies.
The festival will be celebrated on Thursday across Jharkhand. Prospective candidates of most of the parties have reached their respective constituencies to celebrate and reach out to voters as part of informal campaigning.
Quite a few leaders are busy with preparations of traditional Holi snacks such as pua, puri, dahivada, thandai (the chilled drink) to greet and serve voters along with a tray of poll promises, while some others have planned to undertake door-to-door visits to play with colours and serve their poll agenda to the voter households. Some of the probable contestants also plan to take out processions during Holi.
However, no political party has disclosed its strategy for attracting voters during the festival of colours for fear of the model code of conduct, which came into effect when the poll dates were announced. A prospective candidate, who did not wish to reveal his name and place to avoid the model code of conduct restrictions, said, “Holi has come as a big opportunity for us to reach out to voters and get their support.”
Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Pratul Shahdeo said, “Irrespective of religious festivals, BJP leaders and workers always prefer to be in their respective fields. No doubt, Holi is a big festival to meet people. But, we are cautious in view of the model code of conduct.”
Jharkhand Congress spokesperson Kishor Nath Shahdeo said, “We will celebrate the festival with traditional fervour. Leaders will meet people and greet them. We are also planning to hold a Holi Milan in different places without any political agenda.”
The Election Commission has decided to keep tabs on functions like Holi Milan that are generally organised by different political parties. “If such a function is used for a political purpose, action will be taken against the organiser. There is no restriction on holding political events but they should be organised with proper permission. The cost of the function will be added to the candidate or the party’s campaign expenditure,” said an official of the Chief Electoral Office (CEO), Ranchi, on condition of anonymity.
Meanwhile, Holi markets in Jharkhand are flooded with items related to political leaders. Masks of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress president Rahul Gandhi in high demand. Modi pichkaris (colour sprinklers) are selling like hot cakes.
