The candidates thronging the UPCC headquarters for prachaar samagri (campaign material) have an unusual choice now.
There are two sets of posters, presenting two totally different avatars of the Congress chief. One has a smiling Sonia draped in her trademark bordered handloom sari striking a pose for the lensman with folded hands. The other has a new look Sonia clad in a beige salwar suit, head covered demurely by a dupatta, waving out of the mega-sized coloured sheet.
The posters are selling like hot kebabs. The stall owners, not the ones to beat about the bush, simplify the matter with a simple brisk query: Hindu Sonia or Muslim Sonia?
The `Muslim Sonia' poster, it is learnt, is going down extremely well in the Muslim populated areas. Party sources say they are already a big rage in cities like Rampur, Moradabad and Bareilly. In fact, Rampur and Moradabad, expecting a visit from her next week, have also come up with a repeat demand, they claim.
Printed in Urdu, the poster makes four promises to the voters. They are:Reservations for the downtrodden, power sharing equality and honour, removal of factionalism and `Bharat for all'. "Congress ko kamyab banayen (make the Congress successful)," it reads.
They have been devised and printed in Delhi, says Mirza Irshad Beg. “We have just had the first instalment and there would be more `varieties' in the days to come,” he assures.
Partymen say the posters show that
Sonia has come of age. It was her mother-in-law and former Prime Minister
Indira Gandhi who started the trend, way back in the 70s, of dressing according
to the community she was addressing, recalled one party veteran on Tuesday.
Sonia is learning the ropes fast enough, commented another, admiring the
“master strategist” behind the idea. He said this poster idea will definitely
win Sonia hordes of admirers in old Lucknow alone.