Campaign curbs force parties to change tack

Deepkamal Kaur

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, January 8

With the Election Commission announcing curbs on rallies by political parties till January 15, candidates say they will have to change their campaign plans to abide by the new Covid protocol.

Challenge in villages

Public outreach in villages will be difficult especially through the social media. — Pargat Singh, Education minister

Leaders of various parties say they have started cancelling rallies in villages and city localities lined up for the week. “We do not expect the restrictions to ease after January 15 as Covid cases are already seeing a daily surge. The restrictions may stay and we might not be able to invite senior party leaders for rallies. We will explore online options to reach out to voters. Till then, I have decided to set up 12 teams of five persons each for the door-to-door campaign,” says Jagbir Brar, ex-MLA and SAD candidate from Jalandhar Cantonment.

Education Minister Pargat Singh says he needs to sit with his team and study the detailed guidelines to chalk out the strategy. “Public outreach in villages will be difficult especially through the social media. As of today, I remained busy getting protesting teachers’ evicted from outside my residence. I have given them the assurance of taking their matter to a logical conclusion.”

Minister Rana Gurjeet Singh says campaigning under the new norms will be interesting this time.

“The Election Commission has taken the decision in view of the Covid surge. We will have to do away with the traditional modes of campaign. I have always preferred going from door and to door as it has a personal touch. I had not organised any rally even in 2017. There were nukkad meetings in the evenings then, but we will skip those this time. Phone calls will come in handy after 8 pm owing to the ‘poll curfew’.”

BJP leaders say they will use the social media to reach out to the masses.

“Since there will perhaps be no rallies till the end of the campaigning, we will try to go live on the Facebook, etc. on a regular basis to share our works, our promises and expose rivals,” says KD Bhandari, former Jalandhar North MLA.