Delhi Assembly Elections 2025 | From boat rides to 'baraats', parties get creative to combat voter apathy

New Delhi: Amid urban apathy among voters in the national capital, parties are resorting to unique ways to draw attention and mock opponents during the Assembly campaign trails.

Focusing on the cleaning of the Yamuna, BJP candidate Parvesh Verma took a boat ride in the river on Saturday, carrying a life-size cutout of AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal.

In the cutout, Kejriwal is seen holding his ear in shame saying, "I am a failure, don't vote for me as I failed to clean the Yamuna river by 2025." The BJP leader immersed the cutout in the Yamuna several times in front of the media.

On the other hand, the AAP staged a 'baraat' (wedding procession) on the city streets without a groom, with placards reading, "BJP Ka dulha kaun?" (Who is the groom of BJP?). Top AAP leaders participated in the procession, commenting that the BJP is in a wedding procession without a groom, implying that the saffron party has no CM face.

The ruling party also started a game in public places, where AAP workers asked the public to identify masked men and two women belonging to either team Kejriwal or the BJP. Among the masked men were AAP supremo Kejriwal, Atishi, Raghav Chadha, Manish Sisodia, and BJP leaders Ramesh Bidhuri and Parvesh Verma.

The party claimed this was an experiment to gauge the popularity of their leaders compared to BJP leaders.

Apart from door-to-door campaigns, the parties are also holding street plays by engaging college students. These plays are mainly targeted at parks where a large number of people gather during the morning hours to enjoy the sunshine amid the harsh winter.

"Parks are the best place to campaign as a lot of people gather there to enjoy the sunshine,” says Kavita Tokas, who is leading a street play team on behalf of the BJP in South Delhi. In the street plays, the BJP mocks the AAP government over the city's dirty streets and Yamuna pollution, while the AAP street plays target the BJP, alleging that the central government is hindering the smooth running of the government.

Auto rickshaws are in great demand as parties hire them and install LED screens for campaigning on narrow roads.

Delhi Assembly Election 2025 | The first of two state assembly polls this year sees a three-way contest between AAP, Congress, and BJP in the nation's capital. AAP decided to contest the polls alone, causing rumours of a rift in I.N.D.I.A. BJP, meanwhile, is hoping the liquor excise policy scam and pollution in Delhi will give the saffron party an edge over AAP. Kejriwal, on the other hand, has different plans with his demand for reservations for Delhi Jats. Congress will also be looking to make its presence felt and has not held back from attacking its own alliance partner. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.

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