KOCHI: Elections in India have always fascinated people world over and many used to travel from Europe, the US and Australia to remote places in India to get a feel of elections in world’s largest democracy. On Wednesday, people of Kochi were in for a suprise when they saw two foreigners taking part in an election campaign of UDF candidate Hibi Eden at Vennala. Initially every one thought they might be some foreign tourists who joined the procession while passing by.
In fact, the duo - Nick Wakeling and Bradley Battin - are political leaders from Australia who have come a long way to see how political parties carry out the campaign for the general elections.
While Wakeling has been a Liberal Party member of Victorian Legislative Assembly since November 2006 and represents the electorate of Ferntree Gully, Battin is a member of Gembrook in Victorian Legislative Assembly from 2010.
The pair is here also to draw lessons from varied culture, tradition, food and art of the different states in the country. “It was a pleasure to meet local MLA and understand how campaigns work in India. The use of motorbikes, speakers and so many supporters is exciting to watch. This helped us to better understand the entire process,” said Battin.
The two will be in the state for a couple of days during which they will visit the other constituencies.