The upcoming Assembly election in Kerala is getting candidates to do new things.
We have already had some of them getting into sportswear for a morning stroll to campaign among fellow joggers.
Some have also been attending weddings, uninvited, to make the best of the opportunity to interact with the crowd. In the age of waning attention span, it perhaps, makes sense to stand out and get noticed.
M P Adam Mulsi, the Congress party candidate from Beypore in Kozhikode district, seems to have taken cue from this. Going against the trend of political parties roping in professional singers to croon poll-season songs, Mulsi has gone ahead and sung his campaign song himself. “I’m not a singer and have done it for the first time. So you have to consider my limitations as well,” Mulsi told DH.
Mulsi has recorded the song “Avasaram thannaal” (If you give me a chance) in which he seeks votes with promises for the constituency – good roads and good life among others.
His friends Shamsuddin and Mujeeb wrote and composed the track. “Over the past five years, Beypore has had many new voters. My friends suggested this could help me connect with the young voters more. The song is being shared a lot on social media,” Mulsi said. Election season is a busy time for Kerala’s second-rung singers as all political parties go for road shows with poll songs set to popular tunes.
Mulsi is returning to Beypore after his 2011 loss to CPM leader and former minister Elamaram Kareem by 5,316 votes. This time, he is taking on CPM’s V K C Mammed Koya who is also the mayor of Kozhikode Corporation. The candidate says it is not just about songs.
“The party has been working extensively over the past five years to communicate to voters’ issues in the constituency – drinking water is still a luxury in many parts,” he said. Mulsi points out that pitched against a seasoned leader like Kareem, his was a commendable performance in 2011. “The trend is looking good. The song is a start,” he said.
Published 28 April 2016, 18:41 IST