With the prevailing Covid situation necessitating limitations on physical campaigns, candidates in fray for various posts in the general election to Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) in Odisha are turning to digital medium to win the hearts of the voters.
Making the digital campaign more interesting, the poll aspirants are opting for customised hit songs to make inroads into the heart of the voters. With demand of the hit songs growing, recording studios are also feeling the heat of the Panchayat elections.
Contestants from major political parties as well as those fighting independently are banking on the popular campaigning tracks to strike the right chord with the electorate. In order to relate to the rural voters, Sambalpuri songs are being prepared in the western parts of the State while Koraputia desi songs are hitting the right note in southern Odisha.
The lyrics of the songs contain all the information about the contenders such as name, Panchayat (name) and post he/she vying for, among other details.
Smruti Mohapatra, a playback singer said, “Songs which are hugely popular among people are now being customised and names and other details of the candidates are inserted for the campaigning purpose. These songs are meant for promotion of the contestants through which they can reach out to the voters.”
As Koraput is a tribal-dominated district, local or desi songs are mostly being recorded so that the locals can easily understand what the contestants are trying to highlight,” said Pragya Priyadarshini Panda, another singer.
The new trend of the musical campaign has also brought a much-needed relief to artistes who had been suffering for the past two years after losing their livelihood to Covid pandemic.
Biraja Prasad, a music director said, “We can say that a good time has come for artistes. With focus on musical campaign in the Panchayat polls, many artistes who were sitting idle got an opportunity to earn now.”