From big firms to new start-ups, from Chennai to Palamu, agencies offering campaign services to candidates and political parties are making a beeline for poll-bound Punjab.
If Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has replaced Prashant Kishor, who gave up the role, with a grandson, and Akali Dal leader Sukbir Singh Badal has hired Mindshare Analytics, lesser-known candidates from across parties also are hiring such firms. The fees can go up to Rs 2 crore, but smaller firms are willing to supply services for even Rs 5 lakh per seat.
Besides Chennai-based Sunil Kanugolu’s Mindshare Analytics, other agencies that have already started on-ground surveys for his or her clients include Chandigarh-based Design Boxed, Bengaluru-based Poll Matrix Consulting Private Limited, Palamu (Jharkhand)-based Cognet Arambha Services and PoliticalEDGE from Gurgaon, among others.
While most parties and candidates are cagey about their deals, the package mostly includes surveys, door-to-door reach, social media handling, creative designing, photography and videography, editing and other services. Content writers are being hired, with knowledge of Punjabi aside from English and Hindi a requirement .
Rupinder Singh Raja Gill, a real-estate developer from Khanna, who is seeking the Congress ticket from Sahnewal, has hired Arambha Services. the corporate is additionally working for Khanna MLA Gurkirat Kotli and Payal MLA Lakhvir Lakha.
Gill said he decided to rent a firm because the Congress is yet to require a turn workplace for the party. “Things get delayed if we keep expecting a party-level agency to start out the bottom work. it’s better to organize at our own level rather than blaming companies later,” Gill said.
Congress MLA Inderbir Singh Bolaria (Amritsar South) and Punjab Education Minister Vijay Inder Singla have given branding and public outreach work to style Boxed. the corporate designed ‘Zimmewaar Sangrur’ and ‘Ambassadors of Hope’ outreach campaigns for Singla during Covid.
Poll Matrix Consulting Pvt Ltd — which has its head office in Bengaluru and company office in Chandigarh — has been hired by a minimum of six probable candidates from the Aam Aadmi Party and Congress, including an incumbent minister.
Mindshare Analytics recently began its poll work for Badal with the campaign Gal Punjab Di, as a part of which the previous deputy CM began a yatra across Punjab.
A senior leader from the Akali Dal’s PR & communication team said, “The company won’t only take care of the party’s campaign overall, it’ll attach members with each candidate. they’re going to decide what message has got to be conveyed to which community. The party has finalised a budget of over Rs 100 crore for campaign activities, including hiring of this company, and that we are taking contributions from candidates.”
But, while Mindshare Analytics is functioning for the party, several Akali candidates like Dakha MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali and Moga nominee Barjinder Singh Makhan Brar have also hired companies at their own level.
“I am in talks with several companies. it’s easier to fight elections once you have a fanatical team for the groundwork,” Brar said. An aide of Ayali admitted hiring a “professional company”, adding they couldn’t share details for fear of competitors taking cues.
Jagpal Singh Abulkhurana, the son of the late cabinet minister Gurnam Singh Abulkhurana, who is vying for the Congress ticket from Lambi, incumbent MLA Parkash Singh Badal’s bastion, says, “You cannot fight an election old-school lately . it’s important to specialise in social media and connect with youths. For that, professional assistance is required.”
Damanvir Singh Phillaur, the son of former SAD minister Sarwan Singh Phillaur, seeking the Congress ticket from Phillaur, has hired Catalysts PR. His social media pitch is, ‘Ikko aas, Phillaur da vikaas’. While acknowledging the necessity for such firms, he says, “PR agencies aren’t chefs, they will only present the dish you create . they can’t create content but can only help us in making that content viral.”
Even AAP candidates have hired firms, during a first for the party in Punjab. Jagdeep Singh Kaka Brar, seeking the AAP ticket from Muktsar, features a ‘Har Haal Halqe Naal’ campaign. “As of now my sister is handling my social media but i’m thinking of taking professional help,” he said.
PPCC president and bitter Amarinder Singh rival Navjot Singh Sidhu features a seven-member in-house team taking care of his social media and backend work, which calls itself ‘Team Jittega Punjab’. it’s led by Smit Singh (30), the son of former Congress MLA Dhanwant Singh and a world skeet shooter and a postgraduate from the University of Oxford.
A team member said Sidhu’s social media and public outreach is “organic”. “He doesn’t need any company or any push. It runs thanks to its demand. he’s his own poll strategist. We just shoot videos and share them. We work on two sorts of videos — theatrical, shot using professional cameras and drones to capture moods and moments, and content videos, during which he speaks and explains his views on Punjab issues,” the member said, adding that the set-up is extremely informal. “We work sort of a family, there are not any official designations.”
Apart from the candidates themselves, the rates of firms depend upon the parties they belong to and therefore the size of their constituencies. Says a market insider, “If the candidate is from AAP, we may charge Rs 20 lakh, while for an equivalent services to SAD, Congress, BJP candidates, we will ask Rs 30-50 lakh. It also depends on the services to tend .”
The social media outreach for Amarinder, who is facing a troublesome political battle, is being handled by his maternal grandson Nirvan Singh (32), a postgraduate from the united kingdom and therefore the owner of communications company Drumroll Media, registered in Delhi. Nirvan was the brain behind the CM’s ‘Mission Fateh’ campaign, to market Covid-friendly behaviour, and ‘Ask Captain’ series, during which the CM interacted virtually with people regarding Covid.
In 2017, Kishor’s IPAC was believed to possess helped Amarinder return to power with the ‘Punjab Da Captain’ campaign.
“I take care of Captain Amarinder’s social media handles in my personal capacity. it’s nothing to try to to with Drumroll Media,” Nirvan said. “Whatever goes on the CM’s handles is posted together with his permission and guidance.”
Some leaders, however, are wary, having had a bitter experience with hiring knowledgeable company. Lok Insaf Party (LIP) chief and MLA Simarjeet Singh Bains says he regretted having hired an Amritsar-based firm recently. “They paint a larger-than-life picture but are unable to deliver as promised. We are now handling everything on our own but outsource some videos, creatives for select projects,” said Bains.
Amit Vij, Congress MLA from Pathankot, has decided to not hire PoliticalEDGE, as he had in 2017. PoliticalEDGE though has two AAP leaders from Amritsar as clients now, as per party sources.”My own team will handle work this point ,” said Vij.
PoliticalEDGE though has two AAP leaders from Amritsar as clients now, as per party sources.
