The Economic Times daily newspaper is available online now.

    A look at the roles of nine panna pramukhs of poll bound MP, Rajasthan

    Synopsis

    The job of the panna pramukhs is to stay in touch with the voters on their lists and motivate them to vote for the BJP.

    ko
    Representative image.
    The ‘panna pramukh’ or page in-charge is the first point of contact for most voters with the BJP’s election management machinery. Under this mechanism, introduced by BJP president Amit Shah, the party assigned a page of the electoral roll each to a panna pramukh, who in turn reports to the ‘booth prabhari’ or booth in-charge. The job of the panna pramukhs is to stay in touch with the voters on their lists and motivate them to vote for the BJP. ET spoke to nine panna pramukhs in election-bound Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan to get a sense of how they are going about their crucial role.

    1. Akeel Ahmed 46 yrs
    Property dealer
    Booth no-129
    Chhatarpur, MP
    Poll date: November 28

    Akeel Ahmed has been working for the BJP for more than 10 years. “Initially people of my community would abuse me for working for the BJP,” he said. “But I tell them that only BJP government can help them.”

    He said he had arranged a trip to Ajmer for some of the voters on his list under the government’s religious pilgrimage scheme, a gesture he hoped would lead the people to view the BJP favourably. Besides, he said, “Many have got sewing machines and houses and I request them to vote for the BJP.” In the runup to the election, he starts around 10 am every day and covers more than a dozen houses by the late evening.

    Currently he is focusing on distribution of voting slips to all the households. Come voting day, he plans to make good use of the vehicle given to him by the party to take voters to the voting booth.

    2. Ram Chandra Anuragi 29 yrs
    Street hawker
    Booth no-129
    Chhatarpur, MP
    November 28

    Ram Chandra Anuragi takes pride in the fact that despite being a street hawker he has been chosen by the party to handle one page of his booth. He hasn’t received the final voter list and his page but has already got a list of beneficiaries of government schemes called ‘Hitgrahi’ in his booth. “I target 10-12 houses a day in two shifts in morning and evening,” said Anuragi. “I remind voters of the government benefits they have received, and that if the party comes to power again, they will get benefits of all schemes launched by both central and state governments.”

    On voting day, he said, he will get up at 6 am and coordinate with the ward pramukh to arrange a vehicle to take voters to the booth before 10 am.

    3. Somnath Kale 50 yrs
    Businessman
    Booth no- 189
    Khandwa, mp
    November 28

    Kale is a party worker since the days of the BJP’s precursor, Bharatiya Jana Sangh. He is also the councillor from the same ward. “It is a good opportunity for me to serve my party as panna pramukh in my ward, which has about 1,900 voters,” he said.

    He said he had dedicated his entire energy to ensure the benefits of all the state government’s schemes reach the people of his area. “There are 60 panna pramukhs in my ward and I coordinate with all of them. Actually, it is an extra benefit for me.

    Apart from me, rest 59 panna pramukhs will be helpful for me in discharge of my duty as ward councillor,” he said. He starts meeting people in the morning, right after having breakfast, and seeks to enlist their support in ensuring a fourth successive win for the BJP in the state.

    4. Rahul Dixit 24 yrs
    Farmer
    Booth no- 216
    Rajnagar, MP
    November 28

    An early riser, Rahul Dixit starts his day at 5 am. Last week he invited every household in his charge with yellow rice to attend Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally on November 24 in Chhatarpur. An invitation with yellow rice is considered auspicious in Bundelkhand.

    “There are some on my page who are influenced by the Congress. I requested them to come and hear Modi ji, hoping they will change their minds and defeat the Congress MLA here,” he said. He has a list of Hitgrahi and meets every family once every three days, reminding them that they got these benefits because of the BJP government and not the local Congress MLA. “There are some who didn’t get houses while others got in their vicinity. I promise them that in the next BJP government all those who are left will get the houses under PM Awas Yojana.”

    5. Jaipal Singh Chauhan 34 yrs
    Shopkeeper
    Booth no- 65
    Khandwa, MP
    November 28

    Jaipal Singh Chauhan’s booth has a total of 883 voters, of which he has the responsibility to take care of 60 voters whose names are on the page he has been assigned. “I am supposed to remain in constant touch with the eight families whose members’ names are on my page of the voters’ list,” he said. According to him, the families are from different castes such as Rajput, Kumhar, Sen and Brahmin. “Apart from the traditional supporters of BJP and Congress, there are dhulmul (undecided) voters in this election. I am focusing especially on such voters,” he said.

    6. Pravin Kumar Pandey 48 yrs
    Transporter
    Ward no- 34, Booth no- 236
    Khandwa, MP
    November 28

    Pandey said he always ensured water tankers were arranged in case of a ceremony in any of the households in his charge. He said he generally received complaints about lack of cleanliness and that his duty was to resolve the issue with assistance from local government authorities.

    On the voting day, he said, he will make special arrangements for older people so that they can cast their votes. He is also persuading women voters to vote early on the polling day.

    7. Rakesh Jain 48 yrs
    Automobile workshop owner
    Ward no- 37
    Udaipur city, Rajasthan
    December 7

    Rakesh Jain has been working with the BJP for 12 years. He starts his day at 7 am by going for a morning walk at Fateh Sagar Lake of Udaipur. He connects with those who come for the morning walk and tries to gauge their mood. He starts his second round post lunch and visits six-seven houses every day to strengthen his relations with the families. He motivates them to canvass for the BJP among their relatives and friends living in other parts of the state.

    8. Kamal Kishore Sharma 23 yrs
    Engineering student
    Ward no- 54
    Kishanpole (Jaipur) Rajasthan
    December 7

    An engineering student, Sharma has been working for the BJP since he was 17 years old. His exams are round the corner but he has taken time out to contribute to the party’s election efforts.

    He starts his day’s work by meeting the booth president and discussing his plan for the day. Every day he visits at least four houses and ensures that he has tea with them. Besides, he calls at least 10 voters on his list and discusses poll scenario. His emphasis is more on those who are outside Jaipur, working in Gurgaon, Delhi or Ahmedabad. He has 14 such voters on his list and he is trying to ensure that at least 10 of them come on the polling day. He has placed stickers with the party’s election symbol, lotus, and slogan ‘Ajay Bharat, Atal Bhajpa (Invincible India, Unwavering BJP) on all the houses on his list, the first panna pramukh to do so.

    9. Toran Singh 42 yrs
    Farmer
    Ward no- 24
    Bharatpur, Rajasthan
    December 7

    Since the onset of rabi season, Toran Singh has been spending his morning hours in his farm. Around 10 am, he goes to the election office of the party candidate, Vijay Bansal. There he takes instructions from his booth head and comes back to his ward. He has a large number of relatives on his list, so he doesn’t face any problems in canvassing. In evening he makes sure that he has dinner with one of them. He also accompanies and becomes part of the gathering whenever needed during campaigning.


    (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel)
    (Catch all the Business News, Breaking News, Budget 2024 News, Budget 2024 Live Coverage, Events and Latest News Updates on The Economic Times.)

    Download The Economic Times News App to get Daily Market Updates & Live Business News.

    Subscribe to The Economic Times Prime and read the ET ePaper online.

    ...more

    (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel)
    (Catch all the Business News, Breaking News, Budget 2024 News, Budget 2024 Live Coverage, Events and Latest News Updates on The Economic Times.)

    Download The Economic Times News App to get Daily Market Updates & Live Business News.

    Subscribe to The Economic Times Prime and read the ET ePaper online.

    ...more
    The Economic Times

    Stories you might be interested in