JOIN USThe candidates from various political parties in Tamil Nadu are leaving no stone unturned in a bid to grab the attention of the voters for the May 16 Assembly elections.
In a first of its kind in the state capital and in the other cities, the latest slogan is “go local”. The strategy hinges on reaching out to the voters in their mother tongue.
For instance, in Sowcarpet area of Chennai which is predominantly dominated by people from the North, candidates are distributing leaflets and other campaign material in Hindi.
Speeches are translated into the language and efforts made to imbue the north Indian culture and practices during processions. All this is done to connect with the voters and catch their attention. For every vote counts. To woo Hindi voters a message in a DMK poster at Sowcarpet and Egmore area says “ugtha suraj par apne mohar lagakar unhey bari bahumath sey vijayee banaye”. Though the quote, which translates “please vote for rising sun to ensure huge victory”, cannot catch the minds of local Tamils, it could be understood by any north Indian.
It is not just Hindi alone, but other south Indian languages like Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and even English also come into play in this election.
In Villivakkam area, which is predominantly dominated by Telugu speaking people, candidates make effort to translate speeches into the language. Flyers in Telugu are distributed. Political parties including the ruling AIADMK and DMK also hired Telugu speaking orators for the local meeting to woo the voters. The DMK candidate Ranganathan in Villivakkam is going one step forward and greets Telugu speaking people in their mother tongue. “I know Telugu very well and am very much happy to interact with my constituency people in their language”, Ranganathan told DH. Ranganathan speaks Kannada too when he meets Kannadiga electorate in his area to grab their attention. Similarly, in Avadi constituency here, functionaries of AIADMK candidate Ma Foi Pandiarajan are distributing pamphlets in Telugu, where a sizable section of the electorate speaks the language.
Likewise, it is English handouts being distributed by the candidates at his Royapuram constituency where more than 70% Anglo-Indians are living.