BJP, Congress in battle of wits as poster war hots up in Shimla
SHIMLA: With campaigning for the November 12 Himachal Pradesh assemblly elections reaching a crescendo, the writing is literally on the wall.
The ruling BJP and opposition Congress are caught in a poster war on state capital Shimla’s streets, taking a dig at each other rather creatively. At the centre of this no-holds-barred battle is a multi-level car parking on the main Circular Road near the elevator that connects it with the heart of Shimla town, the Mall Road, where giant flex posters hang down the valley, making for an interesting read every day.
For instance, the Congress flex poster claiming that it’s coming to power read: “Phir aa rahee hai Congress.” The BJP put up a banner next to it on which was written: “Jai Ram ki shapat main (to Jai Ram Thakur’s oathtaking ceremony).” Not to be outdone, the Congress put up a banner the next day, saying: “Shapat ka sapna tutega kyunki aa rahi hai Congress (The dream of taking the oath will be broken because the Congress is coming)”. The BJP activists were prompt to put up another banner alongside, “Phir se vipaksh main (In the opposition again).”
“Ours is not a negative campaign. The BJP is not keeping its report card before the people, instead it is criticising the Congress. We are saying that the people of the state are siding with the Congress. The way they are putting up banners to counter the Congress only reflects their desperation,” said Congress spokesman Naresh Chauhan of the poster war.
The BJP, on its part, chose to underplay the Congress’s advertisement campaign. “During elections, it is normal for political parties to contradict each other on every platform whether media social media or on the streets,” a local BJP leader said.
Poster war waste of resources, says CPI(M)
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) described the advertisement war between the Congress and the BJP a waste of resources. “They both are hoodwinking the public. Otherwise, it’s simply a waste of money. Instead, they should tell the people what they did for them during their tenures, says CPI(M) leader Vijayender Mehra.
Meanwhile, voters are enjoying the war of wits over the past week.
“The slogans are creative and catchy,” says Keshaw Ram Sharma, a salesman at a shop on Mall Road. The area adjoining the Congress headquarters of Rajiv Bhawan on the main Circular Road is the new hotspot for the poster war. While the Congress has put up a huge hoarding on the rooftop and walls of the building, the BJP has hung hoardings on the walls opposite the Congress office to highlight the works carried out during the Jai Ram Thakur government’s rule.