Last tips to win

Free Thinker *

Win by any means. If you lose you are almost gone; it is difficult to revive. So, try to win the election somehow; politics is dirty everywhere. Whether it is in the UK or the USA, Uripok or Ukhrul , it is certainly not a holy cow. Even cow is not spared in politics.

Ultimate end-game of politics is to capture power. Just to appease the losing parties or control the frustrated electors some kind of words are preached – opposition is indispensable in a vibrant democracy- Ghanta !

Enough information about winning and losing elections has been gathered from those who had won and also from those who had lost. Sharing experiences both with the winners and losers made me a pretty good election gossiper. It appears information from the losing side is more useful.

Listening to both sides made me a scandalous poll pundit. I have a close friend who had lost the last election; he told me that the contesting candidates should learn from the losers more as they know better than the victors. Perhaps he is right.

Some last moment tips may be shared for the convenience of the candidates, particularly for the new ones in the fray. Use all your resources in the last few days just before polling - through your confidants in each locality.

Even if you have doubts about the credentials of your local representative, you have no choice; just deliver – and hope for the best return. Only a few die hard loyalists may distribute sincerely otherwise almost the half is pocketed. Never mind, it is the normal practice everywhere.

As part of your last move, talk to your close workers one by one and perform accordingly to their suggestions. Never impose your views or ideas at the eleven hour. They are the ones who know the ground reality; they are the ones who deal with the electorates direct. You have to rely on them a hundred percent. Trust each one of them; you have no option either. Rather turn them more loyal to you by your own behaviour and mannerism.

Get the phone numbers of your voters- identify the important ones; once the campaign time is over, start calling them personally from your personal phone – this is not a campaign, this is your personal call.

Final request ought to be made to them in short and sweet words. How many hours do you have in hand? Suppose if you have 36 hours – that means you have 2160 minutes. Try to make as many calls as possible. Why not a thousand!

One day before the polling please ensure that those who are to sit inside and outside the polling booths are really happy with your local representative. If there are gaps between them, fill up instantly by the available resources; a cool team normally leads to victory.

Loopholes are primarily about money matters. Sell, borrow, steal or do anything possible to generate resources for the last moment momentum. The great two nights before the polling are crucial. Old foxes keep reserves beforehand for this. This is black hole moment- everything is swallowed.

On the polling day, be the first one to cast the vote in your home polling booth. Your immediate family and kith and kin should follow . Do a little puja or prayer before that. Talk to the presiding and polling officers politely as if they are working for you.

Moving from one polling station to another will certainly give morale boosting to your cadre or workers who are in and around the polling stations. If possible take a round all over your constituency, covering all the polling booths. In the valley it is possible but in the hills it may be difficult to reach all the booths. Stay a few minutes longer where you feel that you are lagging behind. Carry a smile all the time.

Anyhow you have to win the election by hook or by crook; in the last few days or on the polling day itself spread the news that you are winning and others are losing. For that you need a strong rumour mongering team in every locality. Get them to your side. Rumours are extremely important at this juncture. Manufactured news should flow out in your favour.

Hire the best rumour spreaders in each locality and honour them respectably to shoot out good news for you and bad news for others. For instance, so and so candidate has fainted while casting his vote; so and so candidates have exhausted their funds ; so and so candidate weeps and discloses to his wife that he is losing etc., etc.,

Finally, you must always boost the confidence of your workers to the zenith till the last. Never show your limitation or weakness to your team while dealing with matters like – manpower, money power, gun power, liquor power, vehicle power, organizational power, media power, legal power, even diktats - let them name it and you must do the needful or it should appear that you can do the needful.

‘Offer the people, buy the people and force the people’ – so unethical and undemocratic but true.