In Goa, you can get paid if you attend a rally by a political party

PANAJI: Huge crowds at campaign rallies may not necessarily be an indicator of support for a politician.A party's “event managers“ create the illusion of popular support by paying the audience at many of these election meetings to attend, wave banners and even shout slogans.

The crowd members are carefully calibrated. Unemployed youth, children out to earn some pocket money, and housewives keen to meet their household expenses are all up for hire if the money is right. If cash is in short supply, food and drinks fill in the gap.

For 42-year-old single mother Swati, the Rs 2,000 that she earns to gather local women and children for a political rally or campaign helps augment the meagre income she earns as a house help.

The women are paid anywhere between Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 for their presence, Swati says. She has already arranged crowds for two right-leaning parties, and a regional party which is a new entrant to the Goa political scene.

The idea of paying for an excited audience comes from the belief that a political campaign's fortunes are rooted in the creation of a buzz, which can then bring in media coverage, which, in turn, could morph into real support.

A large mass of people enthusiastically waving banners and dancing can sway voters sitting on the fence, say political strategists. “It is party workers that usually work for the candidate. But when a senior functionary comes, others are roped in for a fee to project a bigger crowd.

“Sometimes, migrants who don't even speak the language are brought in,“ Nandesh, who works as a driver for a private company, says. A slum dweller from north Goa attended a rally held across the constituency, where soft drinks, snacks and beers went around freely in exchange for shouting a few slogans endorsing the candidate.

Money or freebies to those brought in to augment the crowd is not a recent phenomenon, a fact widely acknowledged in Goa.

During the earlier elections, there used to be several people, who would help arrange crowds.

“Now, with mobile phones having cameras and the social media, political parties are a little more cautious, but it still happens,“ a former panch member from Chandor said.

Also, the November 8 demonetisation and the Election Commission's strict checks on the movement of cash have made it more difficult to pay crowds to attend rallies. These “crowd managers“ of Goa may campaign for several parties, but they are very clear who they will vote for --the same candidate who has helped them for years.