The BJP and Congress have begun preparations to woo the South Indian community ahead of the Delhi Assembly polls. With people from the south of the Vindhyas making up a sizeable population in the capital, both parties would be getting leaders from South India to campaign.
The population of South Indians in Delhi is estimated to be around two million, of which approximately seven lakh are voters. Most people from the region reside in the Assembly constituencies of Dilshad Garden, RK Puram, Shahdara, Kondli, Seemapuri and Vikaspuri. With the South Indian voters having influence in six of the 70 constituencies, both the BJP and Congress are charting out plans to organise campaigns in these segments with their leaders drawn from that region. K Muthuswamy, co-convenor of the BJP Delhi unit South Indian Cell, said that leaders like BJP Tamil Nadu state president Pon Radhakrishnan would campaign extensively in South Indian-dominated areas. Radhakrishnan has served as a minister of state in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government. BJP sources said that the party’s national executive member Ela Ganesan, Tamil Nadu state vice president H Raja too would be roped in for campaigning. Former Union minister of state O Rajgopal from Kerala would also be invited. More names would be added to the list after ticket distribution is over.
The Congress is still in the initial stages of drafting its campaigners from South India. Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) vice president Raj Kumar Kohli said, “We will definitely invite Congress leaders from South India for campaigning, but that will happen after we announce our candidates for all 70 constituencies. Following the announcement, the candidates would make requests to the DPCC asking for the leader they want to invite for campaigning in their constituency, which is then forwarded to the All India Congress Committee (AICC). The AICC does the further process.” During the 2008 Assembly polls, the party had invited Kerala state president Ramesh Chennithala for campaigning, who is fluent both in Malayalam and Hindi, Kohli added.
The whole exercise is more to do with emotional connect. People like to hear leaders speak and address them in the language they have spoken since childhood; it rekindles memories of their home state, Kohli added.