HYDERABAD: It's that time of the year when politicians step down from their high pedestal and come to the ground to face brickbats and bouquets, and a few other realities. But they aren’t taking any chances while at it. Many of them are now hiring bouncers — usually employed by pubs and film personalities to keep pesky patrons or fans away — to control the crowds.
During polls, politicians have to enter thickly populated areas to campaign. At times, the crowds can be hostile. Things can go wrong at public meetings too, and many netas are vary of the dirty tricks rivals may pull to bring them down. These reasons have turned into a good business for bouncers and manpower companies.
Firms based in Hyderabad, which have been in the business for more than a decade, said that politicians in Telangana have started to hire bouncers. Some others have enquired about number of bouncers available with them, charges for a day or for a month. In fact, it is not only politicians from the State, those from neighbouring States such as Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh too hire bouncers from Hyderabad.
While Rs 2,000 to Rs 2,500 per day is charged for male bouncers, Rs 2,500 to Rs 3,000 per day is charged in case of female bouncers. Predominantly, it is bodybuilders who take up the job. “While the primary job of a bouncer is to ensure the safety of the client, it’s also important not to hurt the egos of the loyalists or fans of our clients,” says M Karthik Rao, owner of Intelligent Security Services. S Venkatesh, owner of Top 5 Bouncer Services, said that they sent bouncers for politicians during elections in Karnataka in May this year, and for politicians in Andhra Pradesh during elections in 2014.