Voter connect is also being influenced by shareable online songs. As campaigning peaks in Haryana and Punjab, it is now heavily riding on songs, slogans and hashtags as candidates pep up their act to connect with voters.

Dushyant takes the lead

Dushyant Chautala, a youth Jat icon in Haryana, is among those at the vanguard of this trend, using songs to the hilt to popularise his newly-formed Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), a breakaway faction of the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD).

This is how he was introduced in a song released in April.

36 jaat ne sang le chaale, Kare na jhoote vaade re

Dharma Majhab nae jaane koiya, iske nek iraade re

Saaf chhavi aur nek niti se pucca jubaan mein

Hisar ke jeete pale Dushyant phir maidan mein

12 mayee ko vote daldo chappal ke nishan pe

saare virodhi udd jaaveinge jajpa ke toofan mein.

(He takes all the 36 jaats with him

Does not make false promises

He knows no religion or sect, his intentions are kind

Has a clean image and keeps his promises

He won from Hisar and has been brought up in Hisar,

Dushyant is once again in the fray.

Vote for the chappal on 12 May

All his opponents will be blown away in the JJP hurricane)

But the JJP song to really catch on is this one sung by Tinku Khatla, which was released five days ago.

Vyaapari yog ka gathan kraave

Budapa pension ghar ghar pahunchaaye

RO ka paani har gaon mein

Thane police kee vyavastha kraave

Dawaayi bhi mile free mein ilaaj ho jaaye hamara

Yo Dushyant Chautala bhai laage jaan se pyaara

(He got the traders’ commission set up,

He ensured that old age pension reaches every home

He got RO purified water in every village

He got police stations to function

We get medicines and medical treatment is free

Dushyant Chautala Bhai is dearer to us more than our life)

As if this wasn’t enough, the JJP released another number two days ago — Kaho dil se…Dushyant phir se by popular Punjabi singer Goldy Gill.

Then there is Mahara Sapna, released six days ago by Gagan Kokri, another popular Punjabi singer, and which has over 5.9K views:

Haamare dimaag na rajniti jaante

haryana ke vikaas mhara ik sapna

(Our brains don’t understand politics

But our sole dream is to develop Haryana)

Apart from keeping waiting audience entertained in election gatherings, these songs are on the Facebook pages of the candidates and blaring from loudspeakers during road shows.

The INLD started it all

Dushyant is the sitting Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) MP from Hisar and appears to have picked up this election trick while in the party. The INLD generally doles out numbers for the Chautalas, eulogising the Jat party and its leaders, with Devi Lal being the most revered of them all.

The schism in the party last year, however, divided songwriters and singers too. During the Jind bypoll held early this year the INLD and its breakaway faction, JJP, had their own set of election songs.

The families of Ajay Chautala (Dushyant’s father) and Abhay Chautala are battling it out through songs again in these polls. Abhay’s son Arjun Chautala is in the fray from Kurukshetra and has a song dedicated to himself:

Kayee jhoote vaade karte

Hum yo kar denge vo kar denge

Fenke jhot ke ghode

Un jhooton kerna mooh pe taala tane lagana

Tu neta sabte nyaare..laage jee te pyaara

is Kuruksheter ne sun le bas tera ek sahara

Bas arjun jatta tere haath mein kuruksheter bachaana

Tere jaisa sansad koi na kuruksheter ne paana

(There are false promises galore

We will do this do that is what they say

Their gloat and claim

It is for you to shut them up

You are a unique leader, a darling of the people

Arjun jatta you hold the key to saving Kurukshetra

Kurukshetra will never get an MP like you)

Other parties catching up

Three-time Rohtak MP Deepender Hooda, who the Congress has fielded from the seat again, has been playing songs in his rallies too.

“Songs impact mass minds like nothing else,” says Jagbir, a Hooda supporter. “And with the Election Commission taking the colour out of the elections due to restrictions on funds, songs are an economical way of adding fun to the campaign.”

This is one song in praise of the Congress leader:

Rohtak Lok Sabha voter saare iske saath khade sain

Ek lehar thi poori vipakshi moode pade hain

Inte bacch ke rahio vipakshi saare chor sain

Loot ke khavese BJP, janta laa di road pe

Rohtak Lok Sabha mein iski na takkar mein koi aur sae

Congress Congress hori Bhai Deepender ka jor sae

Jeetega bhai jeetega.. yo bhai deepender jittega

(Rohtak Lok Sabha voters are all with him

It is a wave all across and the opposition is nowhere to be seen

Beware of them… they are all thieves

BJP looted everyone and the public is on the roads

there is no one in his competition in Rohtak,

Congress, Congress is all one hears

Victory to Deepender!)

A month ago, a song was released for Congress leader and MLA Kiran Chaudhary whose daughter Shruti is the candidate from Bhiwani-Mahendergarh. Chaudhary is the daughter-in-law of the popular Haryana chief minister Bansi Lal.

Har kee bhoomi Haryanae kee sewa kargaye Bansi Lal

Kiran Chaudhary haryanae mein jo karde kare kamaal

(Bansi Lal did a lot for Haryana

Now everything that Kiran Chaudhary does

she does it well)

Catching on in Punjab too

Congress candidate from Sangrur, Kewal Singh Dhillon, is probably the only candidate in Punjab using songs in his campaign, giving rise to a new trend on the state’s election scene.

This is one song in favour of the Congress leader:

Kewal khushali kewal vikaas

Kewal Singh Dhillon Sangrur dee aas

Vikaas kitiya gap nee mare

Galla de naal sapp nee mare

Kam bolde aape dekhlo

Barnale noon vee jila banaya

Congress de parcham lehraya

90 dina da record todke bridge banaya

chhutkale ethe sunan vale diya akhan reh gayian khadian

(Development alone… Prosperity alone

Kewal Singh Dhillon is Sangrur’s hope

His works are for everyone to see

He created Barnal district

He got a bridge constructed in record time of 90 days

The comedian too is shocked at his pace)

Slogans and hashtags

Dhillon is also using the slogan kamm karke dikhaaye chutkule nahin sunaaye(My work speaks for itself, I am not doling out jokes) in his campaign, a veiled dig at his opponent and sitting AAP MP Bhagwant Mann, a comedian-turned-politician.

Sunil Jakhar, the state’s Congress chief who is the candidate from Gurdaspur, is using hashtag Jakhar hai dhakar (Jakhar is bold and brave), mainly to counter the screen image of his opponent, the BJP’s actor-turned-politician Sunny Deol.

Former union minister and Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari, who is the party candidate from Anandpur Sahib, is relying on a simple two-word message — Tuhada Manish (your Manish) — to connect with voters in a constituency that he is contesting from for the first time.

The Congress’ sitting MP from Amritsar, Gurjit Aujla, is using the line “neta ahin beta” to project himself as a youthful face as opposed to his opponent, BJP minister Hardeep Puri.

The Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Badal, who is contesting from Ferozepur, has a dedicated social and creative media team looking after his online campaign. His election hashtags #johkahangasokaranga (I will deliver what I say) and #Tarrkilayeetakdi (scales for progress, scales are the SAD election symbol) are prefixed across all social media platforms and find mention in his election speeches.

SAD’s spoof on the superhit film Avengers: Endgame with the hashtag #rajedaendgame (end of the king’s game) referring to Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, who is the Maharaja of Patiala, has been hit with voters too.

The 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana go to the polls on 12 May, while the 13 Punjab seats vote on 19 May, the last day of the elections.