Varanasi campaign: Its Modi’s “paalaks” versus Kejriwal’s “buzz teams”
May 7, 2014
Varanasi: Inside Varanasi’s campaign war rooms, it’s a face-off between the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) strength and the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) dedication. The BJP is hoping to produce a landslide victory for its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, by leveraging its greater finacnes, the “wave” in favor of its candidate, the tactical acumen of Amit Shah and the foot soldiers of the Sangh Parivar. But the AAP hopes to pull off a stunning upset, powered by its young, enthusiastic volunteers, and the charisma of its leader Arvind Kejriwal.
Is the BJP overconfident?
Inside Sevashram, a swanky high-rise building at the busy Sigra crossing in the heart of Varanasi, the BJP’s election managers are working to ensure Narendra Modi’s smooth march to Delhi. Apart from Sevashram, the party also runs a media centre from the posh Hotel Surya on the Mall Road.
Amit Shah, according to BJP leaders, micromanages the campaign, taking keen interest in the areas covered, booth level management and developments in the opposition camp. His closest aides are a group of BJP leaders from Gujarat.
The IT cell, at Sevashram, is the most vital part of the building and has restricted access. There are party workers monitoring social media, chalking out ways to handle the negative campaigns against the BJP, looking at newsbreaks and profiling voters. Volunteers from the Indian Institute of Technology and the Benaras Hindu University have shored up the team.
The Sevashram building is the control room not only for Varanasi, but also the 13 other seats in the eastern UP or the Kashi region; however, the hoardings and the banners speak only of Narendra Modi. While Sevashram is all hustle and bustle with party men and supporters, the building covered with a festive look and party flags, the media centre cannot be identified upfront unless you ask the security guard at the gate of the posh Surya Hotel. The mood here borders on overconfidence: rather than being concerned about Varanasi, they are more keen to discuss results in Bihar, in Delhi, and the national picture.
“It’s only the victory margin which is being discussed,” said Anil Baluni, a former Uttarakhand minister. “Kejriwal will get his political moksha here. He can only make noise as he knows no one will bother for him if he works silently. He stages attacks on himself, he is exposed.”
The booth management of the Sangh Parivar affiliates is what the BJP is counting on, the cadre galvanized by the nomination of Narendra Modi. Their polling booth sanyojaks (conveners) and paalaks (caretakers) are already in place, well before the city goes to polls. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has over 300 shakhas (units) in Varanasi, with a strong presence of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Bajrang Dal, Durga Vahini and Bharat Vikas Parishad.
AAP’s campaign buzz
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has a low-key war room in Shivaji Nagar, not too far from the BJP’s plush Sevashram office. A team of 15 activists, a mix of locals and outsiders, man the building. Large posters of Arvind Kejriwal greet you at the building. The man himself visits the office once in a while, as he has been busy campaigning across the constituency.
One of the oldest AAP hands, Ankit Lal, heads the social media team. In a morning meeting they chalk out what trends are to be promoted on Twitter, what posts will go on Facebook, what the talking points of the day are. With AAP’s resources stretched in countering Narendra Modi’s glitzy campaign, people like Mr Lal also double up as street campaigners for their leader Arvind Kejriwal. Mr Lal was one of the AAP members who were assaulted by alleged BJP supporters on 29 April near Assi ghat.
“On the day Ankit and others were thrashed by the BJP people, we had to work very hard to counter the BJP on social media,” said one of the team members. “The BJP had spread a rumor on social media that the AAP activists were thrashed by locals as they were caught drunk. This rumor got strength after a journalist wrote on his handle confirming the same. We proved it to them that this was false and the journalist finally had to apologize for his tweet.” To maximize their reach on the internet, the social media team coordinates with sympathizers and activists across the country and even abroad, to ensure that their message reaches far and wide.
The party claims to have around 1,200 volunteers working in Varanasi, apart from those who visit for a few days before returning to base. AAP has formed “buzz teams” for the urban pockets, which comprises of the activists who come in for a few days or a week. Around 60 members of the buzz team are divided into 15 teams of four each, comprising one local and three outsiders.
“Locals know the area and the dialect quite well, they connect better,” said a campaign strategist. “At the same time the outsiders keep a check on the local members, who by nature are talkative and are in the habit of long debates and arguments when it comes to politics. They can even discuss Obama for a whole day.”
Going simply by organizational capacity and resources, the Modi versus Kejriwal battle looks weighed towards the former. But the latter’s strategists are putting their hope on what they see a campaign with a more personal touch. With only a few days to go, can Arvind Kejriwal’s greenhorn buzz teams outdo the entrenched pracharaks of Narendra Modi?
May 7, 2014
Varanasi: Inside Varanasi’s campaign war rooms, it’s a face-off between the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) strength and the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) dedication. The BJP is hoping to produce a landslide victory for its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, by leveraging its greater finacnes, the “wave” in favor of its candidate, the tactical acumen of Amit Shah and the foot soldiers of the Sangh Parivar. But the AAP hopes to pull off a stunning upset, powered by its young, enthusiastic volunteers, and the charisma of its leader Arvind Kejriwal.
Is the BJP overconfident?
Amit Shah, according to BJP leaders, micromanages the campaign, taking keen interest in the areas covered, booth level management and developments in the opposition camp. His closest aides are a group of BJP leaders from Gujarat.
The IT cell, at Sevashram, is the most vital part of the building and has restricted access. There are party workers monitoring social media, chalking out ways to handle the negative campaigns against the BJP, looking at newsbreaks and profiling voters. Volunteers from the Indian Institute of Technology and the Benaras Hindu University have shored up the team.
The Sevashram building is the control room not only for Varanasi, but also the 13 other seats in the eastern UP or the Kashi region; however, the hoardings and the banners speak only of Narendra Modi. While Sevashram is all hustle and bustle with party men and supporters, the building covered with a festive look and party flags, the media centre cannot be identified upfront unless you ask the security guard at the gate of the posh Surya Hotel. The mood here borders on overconfidence: rather than being concerned about Varanasi, they are more keen to discuss results in Bihar, in Delhi, and the national picture.
“It’s only the victory margin which is being discussed,” said Anil Baluni, a former Uttarakhand minister. “Kejriwal will get his political moksha here. He can only make noise as he knows no one will bother for him if he works silently. He stages attacks on himself, he is exposed.”
The booth management of the Sangh Parivar affiliates is what the BJP is counting on, the cadre galvanized by the nomination of Narendra Modi. Their polling booth sanyojaks (conveners) and paalaks (caretakers) are already in place, well before the city goes to polls. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has over 300 shakhas (units) in Varanasi, with a strong presence of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Bajrang Dal, Durga Vahini and Bharat Vikas Parishad.
AAP’s campaign buzz
One of the oldest AAP hands, Ankit Lal, heads the social media team. In a morning meeting they chalk out what trends are to be promoted on Twitter, what posts will go on Facebook, what the talking points of the day are. With AAP’s resources stretched in countering Narendra Modi’s glitzy campaign, people like Mr Lal also double up as street campaigners for their leader Arvind Kejriwal. Mr Lal was one of the AAP members who were assaulted by alleged BJP supporters on 29 April near Assi ghat.
“On the day Ankit and others were thrashed by the BJP people, we had to work very hard to counter the BJP on social media,” said one of the team members. “The BJP had spread a rumor on social media that the AAP activists were thrashed by locals as they were caught drunk. This rumor got strength after a journalist wrote on his handle confirming the same. We proved it to them that this was false and the journalist finally had to apologize for his tweet.” To maximize their reach on the internet, the social media team coordinates with sympathizers and activists across the country and even abroad, to ensure that their message reaches far and wide.
The party claims to have around 1,200 volunteers working in Varanasi, apart from those who visit for a few days before returning to base. AAP has formed “buzz teams” for the urban pockets, which comprises of the activists who come in for a few days or a week. Around 60 members of the buzz team are divided into 15 teams of four each, comprising one local and three outsiders.
“Locals know the area and the dialect quite well, they connect better,” said a campaign strategist. “At the same time the outsiders keep a check on the local members, who by nature are talkative and are in the habit of long debates and arguments when it comes to politics. They can even discuss Obama for a whole day.”
Going simply by organizational capacity and resources, the Modi versus Kejriwal battle looks weighed towards the former. But the latter’s strategists are putting their hope on what they see a campaign with a more personal touch. With only a few days to go, can Arvind Kejriwal’s greenhorn buzz teams outdo the entrenched pracharaks of Narendra Modi?
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This story was first published in www.thepoliticalindian.com on May 7, 2014
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