BJP candidate Satya Pal Jain’s campaign strategy focuses on building a rapport with the electorate. During campaigning, he makes sure he greets everybody personally.
An early riser, Jain gets up at 6 am. He personally opens and sorts all letters addressed to him. This is followed by a quick scan of the day’s newspapers and messages to his blog.
By 7 am, he is ready for the first padyatra of the day. The venue — a sector or a colony — is pre-decided and the workers informed well in advance of his visit.
As Jain alights from his car, he is greeted by party workers. A rickshaw moves in front, equipped with a music system and loudspeakers belting out songs, motivating the people to vote for Jain. The leader walks on, accompanied by a dholi and people holding the lotus, the BJP’s election symbol. A jeep decked up with BJP flags and stickers follows them.
Jain starts his padyatra with a trip to a temple or a gurdwara. As the group moves into the residential area, people, just woken up, start coming out of their houses or stand in their balconies, curious to know what the noise is all about. Jain greets each one of these onlookers, some of whom wave back, while some return the greeting with folded hands. Others come out to meet the candidate, who requests them to vote for the party.
“We like to move out in areas that are more thickly populated and houses closer to each other. We get the maximum response from these places. People here get the feeling that the candidate has personally approached them,” says Jain.
Jain is usually accompanied by party general secretary Sanjay Tandon and spokesperson Davesh Moudgil. The others are mostly party workers from the area. The group is treated to refreshments as they cross the houses of staunch BJP supporters.
The strategy remains to complete the padyatra in the residential areas before 9 am, when people start leaving for their offices.
Around 10.30 am, Jain is on the move again, addressing meetings at various places, followed by a visit to the party office, Kamalam, in Sector 33.
Next in the line is a meeting in a government office. He greets each employee and distributes posters and pamphlets.
“Inflation is at an all-time high. Essential commodities have gone out of reach of the common man. They do not know whether their job is secure. In the city, people are fed up of the tussle between the Administrator and the local Congress MP, due to which development has suffered,” says Jain.
Post lunch at the party office, it is time for another padyatra, this time to a market. A drum beats along as Jain and his group takes a round. A few more meetings follows this padyatra.
Evenings are for public meetings for villages. “All announcements were made by the ruling party just prior to the announcement of the code of conduct. All mega projects are on hold. The city has not seen any development, while funds have been kept in banks as fixed deposits,” says Jain.
His son Dheeraj and wife Shashi Bala campaign in separate areas of the city.
“Without their support, it is not possible to manage the campaign,” he says.
His campaign continues late into the night, with another day full of events awaiting him.
Posted By Staff Reporter
in Punjab News
0 comments