Iniyum chennu kuzhiyil chadaruthu, urges a poster released by V4Kochi, a newly registered organisation that is in the final leg of finalising candidates for the forthcoming local body polls.
The poster shows road users struggling to cross a pothole-ridden road. It appeals to the conscience of harried Kochiites, fed up of among other things the ill-maintained roads which get inundated at the drop of a hat. Ever since its launch in September, V4Kochi has been supporting its poll campaign with a unique social media blitzkrieg to make inroads into voter minds.
At the helm of the formation are people once associated with the Aam Aadmi Party in Ernakulam. It intends to take on mainstream parties by fielding candidates in all 74 divisions of the Kochi Corporation. The outfit has already made its presence felt in most divisions with posters and innovative campaigns, led mostly by young volunteers. Mazha peythal puzhayakunna Kochi, reads yet another poster, showing motorists and pedestrians wading through a flooded arterial road in the city.
The posters and our logo were designed by Lenish John, a professional designer from Australia who is our supporter as well, says Alexander Shaju, joint controller of the body’s Kochi zone.
“The formation was launched after much brainstorming, to weed out corruption and inefficiency from civic affairs and to plug leaks in the existing style of governance. The response from the public has been overwhelming. So much so that over 60,000 people follow our Facebook page, over a month since it was launched.” They are also contributing to our crowdfunding, which has brought in ₹1.60 lakh so far, he says.
Its political campaign controller Nipun Cherian says the body stands for direct democracy. Connectivity in the 21st century has made it possible for people to get direct benefit from development projects. “But people are fed up, since mainstream political parties are hampering people’s direct participation in the democratic set up. We want to eradicate such intermediaries, thus re-establishing people’s power,” he says.
“We found that posting videos of regional issues yields faster results, since visuals are shown and the name of the division councillor mentioned,” says Foji John, one among the 16 founding members of V4Kochi.