With temperatures—both climatic and political—on the rise in the capital in the run-up to the municipal polls, candidates are pulling all stops to register their planks and symbols among voters. And while those contenders with symbols having a quick recall value are resting easy on this front at least, those who have been allotted peculiar symbols are having to put in twice the effort to ensure that their name-symbol association remains in the people’s minds till voting day.
Thus while Frying pan, gas cylinder, Gas stove, pressure cooker, glass, jug, kettle, cup and saucer, basket, ice-cream, maize and bread are uncomplicated poll ingredients to remember(though the same may not be true for their holders); and Balloon, kite, Aeroplane and railway engine could appeal to voters’ high flying imaginations; the likes of hanger, harmonium, brick, hand pump, diesel pump, letter box, etc, have the tougher task of entering people’s minds and staying on for the next few days without being dislodged by the combined efforts of fork, frock, and electricity pole or sinking into a charpoy-induced somnolence, or succumbing to a hacksaw (Dao) attack. And after all this, they also have to avoid being tied up in knots by the necktie.
To counter the ‘weirdness’ of their symbols, candidates have also come up with ‘poll-worthy associations. The advent of Indian Premier league (IPl) is a boon for candidates with Bat and Batsman as symbols, for now they have a close reference point to stay in voters’ memory—especially the non-cricketing variety. The electric pole, allotted among others to Bharat lal Sahu of Ward 33 and Rajesh Toppo of ward 10 is being pegged before voters as “symbolic of not the candidate alone, but the people’s need for improved electricity supply as the summer approaches,” said Raju, a supporter. Punam Devi of ward 19 however confessed to preferring a more ‘gharelu’ symbol given a choice, but is nevertheless toiling on to fix as many virtual poles in her voters’ minds, since brandishing an actual one is not an option.
As they hit the streets and resort to door-to-door campaigning to woo voters, contestants and their supporters continuously harp on the tasks requiring completion in their wards, punctuating their speeches with frequent references to the allotted symbol, besides distributing leaflets, advertising in Hindi dailies, blaring exhortations from loudspeakers and commandeering large hoardings in public places – all prominently displaying their symbol for a quick recall and association with the candidate. Those who can afford it have invested in miniature campaign give-aways, while most are also brandishing the actual object on the campaign trail for added effect.
Take Sharda Kumari of ward 19 and Shailendra Kumar of ward 39, for instance. Both have been allotted Envelope as their symbol, and their kit for door-to door campaigning includes an actual specimen of their symbol, which they flash before residents while urging them to vote in their favour. However, despite the uncommon symbol, they are unfazed. “My work and sincerity will speak for themselves, so I am confident,” said Kumari. Many others too, expressed similar sentiments. “I am quite happy with the diesel pump as it is easily identifiable,” said Sarita Devi of ward 52. Concurred Sangeeta Devi of Ward 8, “Fork is widely used nowadays, so it has great recall. Plus my dedication will convince voters.”
Another offshoot of these weird symbols are the weirder one-liners and sarcastic comments doing the rounds of opposing camps. Thus ward 5 is sniggering at the prospect of the frock being hung out to dry on the hanger and the harmonium playing off-key (besura), while ward 34 is smirking at the voter heat melting Sushil Rai’s ice cream. There are also snide jabs of the torch running out of battery, the balloon bursting, aeroplane crashing and railway engine running out of steam at the hustings.
However, April 8 holds the lock and key to whether bells will ring or bricks will rain at the RMC this year.