North India polls: Will Telugu netas take cue?

Election fever seems to have gripped North India as the stage is set for Assembly elections in five states – Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Manipur, Goa and Punjab. The stakes are high for BJP since the first four are ruled by it, while Congress is in power in Punjab. It is also being speculated that even Telangana may go in for early elections, maybe towards the end of 2022. This speculation is not baseless as the decisions like IT Hub in Nalgonda, putting other developmental activities on fast-track etc., point in that direction.

Coming back to North, though the Election Commission is yet to announce the poll schedule, major political parties, BJP, Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which is testing the waters for the first time in Punjab and contesting in other states as well, have started flexing their muscles.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi seems to have taken the major responsibility of ensuring the victory of the party in UP since it happens to be the most crucial state. He has been visiting the state very frequently in the name of inaugurations and foundation-laying ceremonies and has been utilising all available platforms to showcase the development of the state during the Yogi regime. Th BJP rhetoric is confined to the performance of the SP government. Modi on Sunday referred to the crime situation in the state during the regime of SP, how criminals had a free run and land grabbing was a common thing, how houses were burnt during riots etc.

From Congress side, its senior leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is spearheading the campaign. She is addressing rallies across the length and breadth of the state, promising to bring a change if her party forms the next government. To what extent the electorate will repose trust in the party has to be seen. Samajwadi Party's Akhilesh Yadav and BSP supremo Mayawati, both former CMs of Uttar Pradesh, are also leaving no stone unturned to woo the voters. But Akhilesh seems to be still caught the in the old mould of campaign style i.e., making cheap remarks.

The interesting factor in this campaign so far is that no leader has crossed limits during their political speeches. Fortunately, unlike in the two Telugu states, no leader is abusing one another in foul language.

The simplest style of campaign is that of AAP. It is keeping its speeches simple, straight and short. It doesn't talk of caste, community, religion or crime. This certainly is a good sign. AAP is making basic promises like transforming schools into best educational centres as was done in Delhi, construction of hospitals, free electricity healthcare services, jobs, unemployment allowance to youth, Rs 1,000 per month to women. If reports are any indication, this style seems to have gone down well with the people and may help AAP expand its footprint beyond Delhi.

Let us hope that by the time the polls in the cow belt are over, the leaders of the two Telugu states will also learn a lesson and stop the use of vulgar language and cuss words as also misuse of police. The police which does not find any violation of Covid-19 norms when rallies organised by ruling parties take place without following any kind of protocols, jump into action and slap cases on opposition parties, alleging violation of Covid norms. The police did not find any violation when a bike rally was taken out by TRS activists in Chityal to welcome TRS working president K T Rama Rao though none of them was wearing a mask, but they arrested BJP activists in Karimnagar to foil the attempt of state president Bandi Sanjay to hold a night-long Jagaran, saying the party had violated Covid norms. Are all not equal before law?