Bracing for the Lok Sabha elections, the Jharkhand Congress has launched a singular initiative to bolster its numbers within the State within the type of a marketing campaign rooted in sentimentality — one which aptly calls itself ‘Aa Ab Laut Chalein’ (Come, let’s return now).
Named after the 1999 film starring Akshaye Khanna and Aishwarya Rai , the marketing campaign particularly targets former Congress leaders who stop the celebration, or these beforehand related to the Congress by way of household. These leaders are being invited to return to the celebration with the promise of a clear slate. Jharkhand Congress president Rajesh Thakur is of the opinion that as a result of the legacy of the ‘Grand Old Party’ dates again to pre-Independent India, a delicate nook for the Congress persists even right this moment. “Ninety per cent of India’s population supported Congress before Independence, and after that, several leaders joined other newly formed political parties, but most people’s forefathers were Congressmen,” he mentioned.
The appeal of the marketing campaign has labored on many. One of the previous members who has been persuaded to return to the Congress is Geeta Shree Oraon, former MLA from Sisai and daughter of distinguished tribal chief and Congress MP Kartik Oraon. Disappointed by a few of the celebration’s insurance policies, she had resigned final January, however upon being welcomed again into the fold, mentioned, “I do feel that in the larger perspective, Congress is a very strong party and can defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and prevent a hattrick in 2024.”
Praising Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, she added: “People across India have taken note of [the yatra] and the way he connects with the people. An example is the Karnataka election. Congress has always worked hard and not indulged in propaganda like the BJP, which is more interested in dividing society.”
But maybe the bigger attraction of the ‘Aa Ab Laut Chalein’ marketing campaign lies in its outreach to not solely former members, but in addition most people, the younger and the uninitiated. Although the marketing campaign is simply over per week outdated, greater than a thousand folks have joined the Congress.
With regard to a particular give attention to rural areas, Mr. Thakur mentioned, “Panchayat heads and district council members are joining the party besides just former Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs). People in rural areas could be great assets at the time of elections since they have a sense of ground reality. These people were Congressmen, but were exploited by other political parties, and now have been given an open platform to return.”
The marketing campaign is broadly seen as an try and increase the celebration’s base forward of the Lok Sabha and Jharkhand Assembly elections, each of which can happen subsequent yr. Besides the marketing campaign, the Jharkhand Congress has shaped coordination committees in all 14 Lok Sabha constituencies, and has deputed them to work on the grassroot degree to gather suggestions from the folks and chalk out a technique accordingly.
The State celebration management can also be engaged on a nationwide workshop known as the Leadership Development Mission (LDM) to raise the celebration’s affect in seats reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs).
Of the 14 Lok Sabha seats in Jharkhand, 12 are held by the BJP-led NDA, and one every by the Congress and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM). During the elections, Congress had solely narrowly missed out on two seats, Lohardaga and Khunti. The LDM has already begun working exhausting in these two constituencies to forestall one other loss.
Source: www.thehindu.com
