INDIA VOTES 2024: Catchy songs, visually appealing videos on social media grab residents’ attention

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, May 24

Singing praises of candidates to highlight development works or poll promises, catchy songs with playful tunes have become a norm during the campaigning leading up to the Lok Sabha elections in the state. With Election Commission of India (ECI) restricting poll expenditure on publishing material, roadshows and rallies, the social media campaigning has taken a centre stage and with this, came heavy-on-visuals poll songs.

From using Karan Aujla songs to playing his poll theme “Aujla jeeta deo” and the Congress’s poll anthem “Haath badlega halaat”, played during roadshows and on social media, Gurjeet Aujla’s outdoor campaign has been high on music.

BJP’s Taranajit Singh Sandhu’s social media campaign is not high on volume, but his poll songs tease his opponents with lyrics like “Pehlan vangu botal de nal vote ni paunde, hoge log siyane gallan vich ni aounde” (Like before, people won’t give vote for a liquor bottle as they have become wiser and can’t be enticed). Another song, which is prominently played as an anthem during his roadshows and rallies is “Kamal da phull khidona eh” (Make lotus flower bloom).

SAD has put up an aggressive pitch with its poll song, “Punjab bacha lo” (Save Punjab) to match the tagline of Vikas Purush given to their candidate Anil Joshi. The song urges “Sher Punjabis” to save Punjab from the clutches of “outsiders”. It compares the struggles of Sikh warriors against the rulers in Delhi in the past to the current political situation in the state.

As the campaigning intensifies, these poll songs prove that the focus of parties is on virtual campaigning. Candidates are working on various ways to reach out to voters. To match the catchy songs and tunes, music videos and reels are being made to help candidates in their endeavour. Taking a cue from political campaigns and Punjabis fondness for music, the district administration too is wooing voters through songs. Kashmir Singh Gill, a government schoolteacher from Amritsar, has penned two songs “Vote utsav” (Vote festival) and “Sadi vote” (Our vote) under the SVEEP activities. These songs were launched by Nikas Kumar, chairperson, SVEEP-cum-Additional Deputy Commissioner (Urban Development).

Kashmir Singh said, “Elections in India are celebrated like a festival and the participation of every section of society is necessary. Nothing conveys the message best than a song.”

Kashmir Singh is an economics teacher at the Government Senior Secondary School, Sangatpura. He had been serving in the Education Department for the past 20 years. He has also prepared many important projects for the Education Department.

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