MUMBAI: From hoardings on city roads to memes and photos on social media, there is only one face in BJP advertisements, that of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, and as campaigning for the BMC elections reaches fever pitch, the battle is fast becoming Mr. Fadnavis versus the rest.
Besides the official BJP posters and social media accounts, animated videos depicting the Shiv Sena as a ‘corrupt tiger’ being controlled by a ‘lion’ are making the rounds. A BJP spokesperson, however, these were fan-made campaign tools while distancing the party from the content.
BJP spokersperson Shweta Shalini, who is handling the party’s election war room, said, “Mr. Fadnavis is following the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and recent poll results have shown he is gaining popularity and is at number one. A city like Mumbai needs an administrator with the right intent, credibility and vision. It is obvious that since he has these qualities, he will be the centre of our campaign.”
Posters featuring Mr. Fadnavis and declaring “ ha shabda maza ahe (this is my word)” have been put up all over the city to counter Sena posters, which claim credit for work done by the civic body. BJP posters also bear the promise “ parivartan tar honarach (change will happen)”, with reference to dethroning the Sena in the BMC.
The party’s official Facebook page Aata Parivartan Honarach too displays only Mr Fadnavis’s photos. Even a comic strip depicting the CM as jaldoot for his work during the drought in Marathwada is making rounds.
Ms. Shalini says three kinds of contributors — party workers, volunteers and BJP fans — are running the BJP campaign. “We are officially reaching out through the first two, but how can we control what our fans create and if it goes viral?” She added that though a lot of content may be doing the rounds, the party’s official policy is to not spread material that is derogatory and insulting.
The Opposition claims the BJP campaign rings hollow. “The CM is making promises and has done so earlier. Ask the people of Kalyan-Dombivli if he has given the ₹6,500 crore he had promised before the civic polls there? He should be in record books for making the most fake promises,” Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant said.
