New Delhi: Four phases of voting have taken place in the country for the Lok Sabha elections 2024. In this series, the fifth phase of voting is to be held in Delhi on 25th May. All the parties are trying their best. Netaji is doing a road show. Hundreds of thousands of people participate in the road show. There are cheers. People are eager to climb on each other. There is a lot of noise. Media people are also part of the road show. Taking opinions from the people participating in the road show. One after the other, then the third.
scene 1
Manoj Tiwari, Bharatiya Janata Party candidate from North East Delhi, is contesting for the third time. His road show is also coming out. An enthusiastic youth is walking shouting slogans. Just then a video journalist approaches him and asks – Have you put a BJP flag? The answer comes – Nothing is done by throwing a patka, sir. It’s all gimmicks. The roadshow is for show. Who will you vote for? While shouting slogans, the words of the young man come out – Kanhaiya. (Kanhaiya Kumar is the opposition alliance’s candidate on this seat). Curiosity awakens in the mind of the person asking the question. Sloganeering for Manoj Tiwari and vote for Kanhaiya? The young man feels embarrassed. He says- There is unemployment, something has to be done. Voted only for BJP in 2014-19. Gave it to Manoj Tiwari only. Even a road has not been built in 10 years, in the coming time the public will take account of everything. However, the young man seems reluctant till the end to tell how much money he has received. (This video is viral on social media, and the author does not confirm the authenticity of the video.)
Read- ‘Congress will get bulldozers fired on Ram temple, Article 370 will be reinstated…’ Kharge responded to PM Modi’s allegations.
Scene – 2
Kanhaiya Kumar is the opposition candidate from this Lok Sabha seat. Kanhaiya Kumar is a former student leader of JNU. There are officials in Congress. He was doing public relations in Kartar Nagar of Osmanpur police station area of North East Delhi. During that time, some people attacked him on the pretext of garlanding him. Went near Kanhaiya Kumar and tried to slap him. During this, Kanhaiya Kumar fell on the ground. However, his supporters have caught the attacker. In the chaos, there was also news of misbehavior with a woman corporation councilor of Aam Aadmi Party. Mahila Nigam Councilor has lodged a complaint with the police.
These two different cases from the same Lok Sabha seat prove that the probability that the crowd gathering in support will be converted into votes is 50-50.
Earlier the leader used to campaign door to door. That means till the doorstep of your house. Now the circumstances are changing. Parties announce the names of candidates for election till the last day of nomination. In such a situation, the leader gets less time to campaign. In Lok Sabha elections, if the field is very large then this becomes almost impossible. In such a situation, leaders try to convey their message through road shows or rallies.
Scene – 3 (Amethi)
Voters of Amethi told that crowd is called in road show. Although some people also go to see Netaji. Local Satendra Singh said, “I just feel like seeing the leaders. Road show is not a guarantee of votes. “Voters have already made up their mind about whom to vote for and whom not to vote for.”
Dhananjay Singh also thinks the same. He says- “Everyone comes to see the leaders. “Only a maximum of 55 percent out of 100 people vote.” Helicopters that come to public meetings also succeed in bringing some people to the rally site. However, these people do not convert into votes. Alok Tiwari from Amethi says, “There is no guarantee that the crowd will convert into votes. Some people also come with money, some just leave.”
You will remember that famous poet Kumar Vishwas was the Aam Aadmi Party candidate from Amethi Lok Sabha seat in 2014. A large number of people used to attend his road shows. But when the results came, Kumar Vishwas’s deposit was forfeited. Similarly, in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, a large number of people used to attend Rahul Gandhi’s road show, but the results were in favor of BJP candidate Smriti Irani.
Politics is changing
Politics is changing. The methods of politics are changing. Statements of leaders are changing. In such a situation, voters are also changing. 10-15 years ago you could find out the voting pattern by talking to voters, but today this is not possible. The voter does not allow to fathom. He knows that Netaji has to come only after 5 years. So, from the one who gives blanket, he takes the blanket, from the one who gives money, he takes money. He takes the money from the one who pays to go to the road show, but votes only for the person he feels like.
Tags: Akhilesh Yadav, Loksabha Elections, PM Modi, Rahul Gandhi
FIRST PUBLISHED: May 18, 2024, 14:36 IST