Time out: Kerala invites Karnataka MLAs to its "safe" resorts

Even as new political permutations were being stitched amid huddles and high drama in Karnataka on Tuesday, a promotional post on social media by state-run Kerala Tourism provided some laughs on the sidelines.

“After the rough and tumble of the #KarnatakaVerdict, we invite all the MLAs to unwind at the safe & beautiful resorts of God’s Own Country,” Kerala Tourism posted on its official Twitter handle and Facebook page.

The post came soon after election trends confirmed that none of the three major political parties in the neighbouring state – the BJP, the Congress and the JD(S) – would secure a majority on its own.

The post, clearly, was a pointer to a brand of “resort politics” increasingly identified with poll-season Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. But, its use of sly humour in a promotional message clicked on the social media. In over two hours, the tweet had close to 5,500 retweets. Though the trolls and usual suspects did surface and set off a discussion trail on Kerala’s political affiliations, many lauded the tourism body for its innovative marketing push.

“This is proactive business development” was how one reacted to the tweet while there were others who felt the administrator of the Twitter handle deserved a pay raise.

Kerala Tourism, the state’s official tourism promotion body, has ended its message with its promotional tag #ComeOutAndPlay. It remains to be seen if the legislators from Karnataka, and the leaders who herd them, take a cue.