When PR agencies run election campaigns
The Hindu
Political parties and candidates have outsourced their promotion to professional outfits
Outsourcing wasn't a term often associated with electoral politics. But times have changed and political fronts, parties, and even individual candidates are now making a beeline for roping in professional agencies to run their campaigns. However, not all seem impressed. “It is the necessary evil of the technology-driven modern world but lacks the human connection that is so critical to an election campaign. I have contested so many elections and never for once felt the need for any agency to support my campaign,” said K.V. Thomas, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee working president, who is also in charge of the media during this election.The Shakti Scheme in Karnataka has completed its first year, yet the smart cards intended for the beneficiaries remain undistributed. According to Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy, while the smart cards have been prepared, their issuance has been stalled due to the absence of electronic ticketing machines (ETMs) in all buses, making them impractical.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly R. Ashok were engaged in war of words over the Lok Sabha election results on Tuesday, with the former calling the latter “ignorant and entertaining people”. In response, Mr. Ashok said the Chief Minister “sometimes wakes up from deep slumber to exhibit his arrogance and anger”.
Makineni Jishnu Sai from Guntur secured the first position in the engineering stream while Yellu Srishant Reddy from Nizampet in Telangana bagged the first place in the Agriculture and Pharmacy (Bi.P.C. stream) in the Andhra Pradesh Engineering, Agriculture and Pharmacy Common Entrance Test (EAPCET)-2024.