As the polling date approaches for the second phase of the Maharashtra Assembly elections and the Jharkhand elections, political parties are getting entangled in the slogan war. The electoral campaign in the country has evolved dramatically in recent years, influenced by the rapid growth of the voter base, social changes and technological advances. The change of slogans in the assembly elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand shows how it has gone beyond roads, electricity and water (basic needs).
Although earlier also election campaigns were dominated by public rallies, door-to-door campaigns and grassroots level mobilizations, in which political parties used to offer freebies like electricity, water, loan waiver and government jobs to win votes, however, The electoral incentives option still exists, but there has been a change: today parties are putting more emphasis on slogans that are more regional and caste-based.
A look at election campaigns over the past 20 years will show how slogans define elections. In the 2004 elections, the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government attempted to introduce ‘development’ through the ‘India Shining’ campaign, while in 2009, the Congress government attempted to introduce the ‘Bharat Nirman’ campaign.
In 2014, the slogan ‘Ab ki baar, Modi Sarkar’ along with promises of bringing back black money and creating jobs struck a chord with voters.
The BJP’s campaign in 2019 focused on Modi with slogans like ‘Phir ek baar Modi Sarkar’, ‘Har Har Modi, Ghar Ghar Modi’ and ‘Modi hai to mumkin hai’.
Congress’s slogan ‘Khatakhat-Khatakhat’ caught attention
In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress introduced a new slogan, “Khatakhat Khatakhat”, which became the centerpiece of the election campaign. Now slogans are back in fashion in the assembly elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand. Promises of free electricity, filling vacant government jobs and setting up super-specialty hospitals are still part of the discussion, but Congress’s call for a caste-based census has triggered a heated war of words between the parties.
‘Bantege to Katenge’ slogan becomes center of discussion in Maharashtra
In Maharashtra, UP CM Yogi Adityanath’s slogan ‘Batenge to Katenge’ is much disputed; the opposition has accused it of having communal connotations. During the election campaign, this slogan appeared prominently in Mumbai, though later in Brihanmumbai Nagar (BMC). He removed the posters. In fact, referring to the riots in Bangladesh, to convey the message of Hindu unity, CM Yogi Adityanath had said in Agra in August that “if we are divided, we will remain divided…if we remain united, we will remain just.” But BJP leaders repeated this slogan throughout the campaign in Maharashtra.
Mention of ‘If there is one, then it is safe’
PM Modi also made a slight change in CM Yogi’s slogan and launched the BJP’s campaign in Maharashtra with the slogan ‘Ek hain toh safe hain’, accusing the Congress of trying to divide OBCs, SCs and STs. It was also linked to divisive politics and. criticized their alleged efforts to weaken national unity. At an election rally in Akola, Maharashtra, earlier this month, Prime Minister Modi said that wherever the Congress government is formed, the State becomes an automated teller machine (ATM) of the party’s “royal family”. Prime Minister Modi had said that the people of Haryana foiled the Congress conspiracy by following the mantra of ‘If we are together, we are safe’. He had said that Congress knows that it will only be strong when the country is weak. The policy of the Congress is to pit one caste against another.
How did Congress respond with the slogan ‘If you are afraid, you will die’?
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge criticized the BJP’s divisive rhetoric and responded with the slogan “If you are afraid, you will die.” He accused the BJP of spreading fear and promoting division. Kharge also accused the BJP of destroying democracy and suppressing debate in Parliament. In his speech at the ‘Save the Constitution’ conference in Mumbai, Mallikarjun Kharge took aim at Prime Minister Modi and alleged that discussion and debate are not allowed in Parliament. He had said that the Prime Minister says “Ek hai toh safe hai” while other (BJP) leaders talk about “Batenge to katenge”. Hey, who’s in danger? Is there a problem? In fact, the country is threatened by the RSS, the BJP, Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that the problems can be resolved through discussion, which will strengthen democracy. But they (the BJP) want to destroy democracy.
During a rally in Palamu-Latehar, Jharkhand, Mallikarjun Kharge said that Yogi had come here a few days ago. He is the head of a ‘Math’ and dresses like a monk. But saints must be compassionate and unite people to protect humanity. But he said, “If you divide, you will be cut off.” Now you must understand that “if you are afraid, you will die.” Meanwhile, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) also launched a campaign called ‘Sajag Raho’, reflecting the BJP’s message of national unity. RSS emphasized on eliminating caste division among Hindus.
(Report- Anupriya Thakur)
