Days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi anno-unced demonetisation in a live TV coverage in November 2016, a sitting legislator from Samajwadi Party distributed Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes among his voters in Basti, an impoverished district in Eastern UP, asking them to get it changed in the banks. “I am helping you this time but during election please do not forget me,” the legislator said.
The said legislator, who was once minister in Akhilesh Cabinet, found a way to utilise his scrapped money but the political parties and leaders were caught unawares when Modi announced his much-hyped surgical strike on black money.
The political parties had their war chest ready months before elections were announced. This money is used in holding rallies, hiring helicopters and wooing voters. In the changed scenario all the parties needed to redraft their campaign. From high sounding election campaign it has been reduced to door-to-door campaign which relied more on personal relations.
“Our big rallies were cancelled simply because we did not have money. It takes weeks of preparations to hold rallies at the divisional level. Not only the manpower but money power is needed to make the rally a success,” said Rajendra Chaudhry, a senior SP leader, adding, “All the parties barring BJP were forced to cancel their rallies since November.”
He is not off the mark. In November Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav was forced to cancel three rallies. Officially party leaders cited different reasons but the fact was local leaders who were entrusted with the task to organise rallies backed out. Sanjay Sharma, one of the organisers of the CM’s Saharanpur rally said holding rallies need huge amount of cash.
“You need to pay to labourers for petty work, tent house, electricians, music wallahs and all of them do not accept plastic money”, he said.
Akhilesh started his election campaign from January 24.
In December Mulayam Singh Yadav was to start party’s campaign from Deoria on November 30 but it was cancelled. The reason the party gave was that Mulayam will now hold a big rally in Gorakhpur in first week of December therefore the small rally in Deoria stands cancelled. But that proposed rally in Gorakhpur failed to see the light of the day.
Ditto is the case with Bahujan Samaj Party where Mayawati too was forced to cancel her series of rallies. In last week of October and early November Mayawati had addressed three rallies but later her rallies were called off. “The BSP is now stressing on committee meetings. The BSP has revived Bhaichara committees and is holding meeting at ground level,” Ravindra Kumar, a senior BSP leader said.
“The BSP stands on strong footing. We have announced our candidates. They have built good rapport with masses. Behinji (Mayawati) has started rallies from Wednesday and it would be enough for the party,” he said.
Dr Nomita P Kumar, of Giri Institute of Development Studies in lucknow said, “In politics rallies are aimed to give a message to masses. You may be a good leader but a small crowd could give a bad Press which ultimately can prove detrimental for the party. Therefore, all the parties ensure a good crowd. It is no secret that people take money to attend rallies. In post-demonetisation cash became a rare commodity which forced leaders to call off rallies.”
Elections area big money spinning game for small time traders, menial labourers, printers et al. Ask any of them and they will vouch that dhanda manda hai (business is low).
The printing presses have gone idle as their printing work has come down by almost 40 per cent as compared to last election. Bharat Singh of Prerna Printers said during last lok Sabha election we worked 24 hours.
He said in the changed scenario political parties are relying on digital campaign and are reaching out to people through WhatsApp group, Facebook, Instgram and Twitter. Parties, like BJP and SP, have their war room ready fitted with modern contraptions from where information could be sent to people with the click of the mouse.
Sanjai Rai, head, BJP IT cell said there are 1.5 crore WhatApp groups and 4.5 crore people who use Facebook. “These six crore people could be reached within seconds. We have data ready and feed them with our publicity material, he said adding: “Money or no money we are doing our job,” he said.