3 days ago
- Automotive
- Hindustan Times
Ludhiana: E-rickshaws with jingles buzz through bypoll campaigns
At a time when candidates are dabbling with reels, hashtags, digital filters, and social media platforms to lure voters; several political parties in Ludhiana West have roped into a more traditional, yet creative, approach, e-rickshaws fitted with loudspeakers playing catchy campaign jingles and rhyming slogans.
These battery-operated vehicles are being used as mobile platforms to promote candidates and connect with residents in a more engaging and accessible manner.
The jingles, mostly written in Punjabi and set to familiar tunes, include the candidate's name, party symbol, subtle jibes at opponents, and promises of development.
So far, parties like the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have adopted this method for street campaigning, while Congress and others are yet to follow suit.
Shedding light on the trend, Vikram Anand, owner of Khushi Advertisers, a firm that composes and records these jingles for political campaigns, said, 'Political parties approach us with slogans and key points they want highlighted. Based on that, we compose jingles in a catchy meter with rhyming sentences that reflect their message.'
Anand noted the costing model as well, by stating, 'We charge around ₹1,000 per e-rickshaw. Out of this, ₹300 is for recording the message, ₹400 covers the flags and banners, and the remaining ₹300 goes to the driver.'
He added that once candidates receive permission letter from the Election Commission to use e-rickshaws for campaigning, his firm provides the fully equipped vehicles within 24 hours.
'These musical rickshaws are a creative way to connect with people. They help spread the message even when candidates are busy with door-to-door visits and public meetings,' Anand noted.
In recent days, streets across Ludhiana West have been buzzing with these campaign songs. BJP's rickshaws, decked with party flags and sound systems, have been using terms like 'Lotu Tola' in reference to the Aam Aadmi Party, urging voters to back local leadership instead of 'outsiders from Delhi.'
On the other hand, e-rickshaws promoting AAP candidate Sanjeev Arora are playing jingles like 'Na gussa na ahankaar, badhegi vikas di raftaar,' encouraging voters to support the ruling party for fast paced development in the West constituency.
