Election campaign with a Tamil touch in Kerala
In the Idukki parliamentary constituency, Tamil voters wield considerable inuence, shaping the style of election campaigning in Devikulam, Udumbanchola, Peerumade, and other Tamil-majority areas within the constituency.
Throughout these Tamil-majority regions, the air resonates with the melodies of popular Tamil lm songs, amplied through loudspeakers, to captivate the Tamil community.
Additionally, all campaign materials, including posters, announcements, and speeches, are exclusively presented in Tamil. Among the echoes of campaign messages, one resounds through the plantation areas of Devikulam: ‘‘Idukki Parliament pottipodum namathu vedpalar Dean Kuriakose avarkalai pallayirakkanakkinu vakkukal vottupoda seyyumaru anpudan ketukolren’.’ (Dear voters, we urge you to elect Dean Kuriakose, who is the United Democratic Front (UDF) candidate contesting for the
Idukki constituency with a huge mandate).
Nostalgic tunes
According to campaign leaders, vehicles broadcasting these messages also play nostalgic tunes from old Tamil lms.
M. Lakshmanan, a member of the Communist Party Of India (Marxist) Idukki district committee, emphasises that election paraphernalia in Tamil- majority areas predomi- nantly use Tamil.
‘Resonate with voters’
While most voters are proficient in both Tamil and Malayalam, using Tamil in posters and announcements resonates more effectively with voters of Tamil origin,” says Mr. Lakshmanan.
He further points out that even tribal areas, such as Edamalakkudy, the rst tribal panchayat in the district, too are adopting the Tamil model of campaigning.
K. Krishnamurthy, campaign committee leader of Dean Kuriakose, highlights the strategic shift in campaign tactics within Tamilmajority residential areas.
“Delivering announcements, displaying posters, and delivering speeches in their mother tongue foster a stronger connection with Tamil voters. Campaigning this way enhances intimacy between voters and candidate,” he asserted.
Vimal Raj, a Congress worker in Munnar, observes the rising trend of Tamil ex boards being raised in support of favoured candidates. “Many of these boards highlight the candidate’s interventions in the respective Tamil areas,” says Mr. Raj.
Campaign leaders from the UDF, LDF, and BJP acknowledge that Tamil-origin tea plantation workers constitute a signicant portion of Tamil voters across the three Assembly constituencies of Idukki.