Not just politicians speaking in multiple languages, but political parties are taking the extra step this time to woo migrant voters with special programmes in different languages, roping in leaders from other States and even forming special teams and cells.
From IT professionals to traders to even construction workers, parties are reaching out to these voters in their own languages.
From luncheon meetings in restaurants to roadshows, different classes of people are being targeted through these campaigns. The Congress has brought in Sanjay Nirupam, former MP, to head these meetings. Mr. Nirupam said that he was also personally contacted by some traders and techie groups to come and address the migrant workers.
“I have been asked to interact with the migrant population here. I am meeting them with the Congress candidates. I have also visited apartments in South Bengaluru where there is a mixed population. We met in restaurants and at other offices or residential buildings. I interacted with traders at Karnataka Hosiery and Garments Association (KHAGA) too,” Mr. Nirupam said.
He has so far reached out to the migrant population from States like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa, and West Bengal, along with traders from Rajasthan. “As the migrant population has increased in Bengaluru, these interactions are necessary. We have talked about the security of migrant workers, how to ensure that local workers and migrant workers all get their jobs,” he added.
The BJP, on the other hand, has a separate “different languages cell” to devise campaign programmes to approach the migrant, non-Kannada speaking voters. “We are holding public functions, small meetings, and street plays. There is also door-to-door campaigns and colony and apartment meetings,” said Ravi Kumar, State general secretary, BJP.
When it came to roadshows in pockets where non-Kannada speaking voters are present, Mr. Kumar said that the responsibility was delegated to those party workers who can speak those languages.
In many parts of the city, it was reported that campaign announcements, which are usually done through megaphones, were also being done in Hindi, especially in East Bengaluru.
