The electioneering is gaining momentum as the July 25 electoral battle is drawing near, and in their door-to-door campaigns, the candidates are leaving no stone unturned to inveigle themselves into voters hearts’, irrespective of any backlash coming their way.
A lot of candidates, either representatives of political groups or those contesting independently, are striving vociferously to rationalize their existence as a common man, but whether their charm offensives are worth a vote is yet to be decided by the voters.
Here we take a look at some of the election candidates, including a few bigwigs, wooing voters with their own imaginative approach.
‘Vote for me and I will make you rotis’
Sheikh Rasheed doesn’t cease to surprise us either with his words, or actions. In a recent visit to a market in Rawalpindi, the Awami Muslim League chief was stumbled across by a potential voter who asked him: “What you can do for us?”
Without wasting a time, the seasoned politician said he’d make a ‘roti’ (round bread) for his voters. He then headed to a nearby and baked a roti himself.
And how well was it baked, nobody knows!
Canvassing on a motorbike!
Khursheed Shah found it novel and convincing idea to begin his election campaign riding a motorbike, only to establish the fact that he belongs to the lower and the middle classes, but how long the class sustains itself will only be seen after the July 25.
His pictures made rounds on the social media, drawing generally snide comments instead of what he would have possibly assumed.
‘Jab They Met’ – after 5 years!
Just days before the elections, the picture of Sherry Rehman sharing a meal with street kids along roadside emerged on the social media and it received a mixed response.
One of the Twitter users described it as “a rare sight you see only during election days.”
The ‘burger’ making a burger!
When it comes to woo your voters in the most laymen way, the PTI seems to take the lead. Party leader Faisal Vawda had his video going rounds showing him making a ban kebab at a roadside cart.
Needless to say, it’s a limited time offer for his voters to learn whether their leader is really good at cooking or just cooking it up!
The rich and the rickshaw
Precisely a year after his viral videos and pictures riding a boat, in a ‘knee-deep’ water to rescue citizens at an outskirt area of Karachi after rains, famous politician Arif Alvi is back again, and this time driving a rickshaw.
Alike other leaders, his video also circulated on Twitter and Facebook just a week ago reinforcing that he is also one just ‘aam aadmi’ that voters want in their leader.
The ‘novel’ campaigner
Ayaz Memon Motiwala, contesting independently from NA-243 and PS-111, is resorting to some out-of-the-box tactics to highlight civic problems as well as bringing his election campaign to the limelight.
From eating a meal in the filth of garbage, to lying in sewage water, this candidate has done it all in no time. And he keeps people posted about all his adventures through his social media pages.
It definitely requires audacity for any of Mr. Motiwala’s rivals to get to this level and experience a taste of hardscrabble living conditions of the poor.
