From dhotis to inner wear, candidates obsessed with optics

BENGALURU: When Congress strongman DK Shivakumar bought inner wear from a shop in Ballari last week, to the casual eye it appeared he was taking a break from campaigning in the sweltering heat. But the move was loaded with intent. The garment outlet is located in a Kuruba community complex and it was Shivakumar’s way to endear himself to the community, which has become crucial politically in the last five years.
“It was a message to the Kuruba community not to view him as they do the HD Deve Gowda family,” a Shivakumar aide said.
With barely 10 days left for the first phase of polling in the state, political leaders, regardless of party affiliation, are obsessed with optics: From what they do in public to what they wear to what they say everything is being done in a measured and calibrated manner to impress voters. “No leader can afford to be blasé about anything this poll season,” said state BJP spokesperson AH Anand.
A JD(S) leader said: “Look at what’s happening in Mandya.” “Nikhil Kumaraswamy is doing everything to woo voters.” Nikhil, who loves branded apparel and drives a Lamborghini in Bengaluru, has been campaigning on a bullock-cart and wearing traditional white panche (dhoti)-shirt. He has even been wooing farmers by planting paddy and crushing sugarcane. “He has to behave like a Mandya boy when he is in Mandya,” the leader said.
Ditto with actors Darshan and Yash, who are campaigning for Nikhil’s rival Sumalatha Ambareesh. The duo has left behind the cozy comforts of their SUVs and is riding in the backs of mini trucks.
In Bengaluru where social media influence is high, candidates aren’t taking any chances. One the first things Bengaluru South BJP candidate Tejasvi Surya did on landing the party ticket was to allegedly delete old tweets on reservation for women.
Bengaluru Central Congress candidate Rizwan Arshad amplified his social media campaign by posting photographs of him seeking blessings from Adichunchanagiri Mutt pontiff Nir malanandanatha Swamiji and taking part in the Lord Jagannath yatra organised by Iskcon at Lingarajapuram.
Politicians, who usually are complacent when it comes to addressing people’s problems, are now responding with alacrity. When over 30 persons suffered injuries in a head-on collision between two KSRTC buses on the outskirts of Kalaburagi four days ago, Kalaburagi’s BJP candidate Umesh Jadhav visited the government hospital in the dead of the night and also administered treatment. Jadhav, who is taking on veteran Congressman Mallikarjun M Kharge, is a doctor.
“Sometimes optics can backfire if not conceived properly,” a Congress leader said. A catastrophe of this sort was avoided in Shivamogga when HD Kumaraswamy and Shivakumar were campaigning for JD(S) candidate Madhu Bangarappa, who is pitted against BJP leader BS Yeddyurappa’s son Raghavendra. Both Kumaraswamy and Shivakumar were all set to flash the victory symbol — two fingers held up in a V-sign — when they realised it was the ‘trademark’ of Yeddyurappa. “It could have proved counter-productive so the coalition leaders flashed the thumbs-up sign,” sources close to the CM said.
Even seasoned politicians like Gowda are not ignoring optics. He is increasingly seen with his arm on political detractor Siddaramaiah’s shoulder and chants the former CM’s name with a view to win over the Kuruba community, whose support is crucial for his victory in Tumakuru constituency.
In Hassan, Gowda’s grandson and party candidate Prajwal Revanna has been making peace with Congress leaders and even falling at their feet to garner support.