Battle for UP: Parties make music for campaigning

Political parties have now started making music for electioneering after the Election Commission imposed restrictions on physical campaigning.

This has given an opportunity to the local talent to showcase their skills.

UP BJP's social media head, Ankit Chandel, said that the party had not officially commissioned any song but the members had come forward to release songs on their own.

"BJP has a host of committed and talented workers. Some of them are singers and have prepared songs for the campaign. The party has selected a few songs which will be played in party's events and meetings," he said.

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These songs are being played in various programmes and functions, including weddings.

Bhojpuri singer, Suraj Mishra Vyas, of Gorakhpur has released a song in support of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

"After the 2017 Assembly elections, I recorded a song on Yogi Adityanath, 'Sagro UP walon ko uphar milal ba, Yogi Baba jaisan CM damdaar milal ba' (UP has got a gift in a powerful Chief Minister like Yogi). It attracted more than 3.5 lakh views," he said.

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Vyas said, "I am making songs only for the BJP. My new composition for Yogi Adityanath is 'Vikas dekh kar dil hua diwana, suno ji phir se Yogi ji ko lana'. The song has been composed by Dr Shashikant Mishra of Salempur."

Bhojpuri singer Dinesh Lal Yadav a.k.a. Nirahua has also released a song, 'Ayenge to Yogi hi'.

Sandeep Acharya's song, 'UP mein gundai karoge to aukaat dikha denge, Gorakhpur wale Baba hain, ghar nilaam kara denge', has also become popular.

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The Samajwadi Party has also stacked up against its music library.

SP leader Sunil Yadav has released a song that says, 'Chinta chhodo 22 ki, taiyyari karo safai ki'.

President of Samajwadi Party's cultural cell, Dharmendra Solanki said, "Some of the songs we have released so far for this election include 'Button dabega cycle ka, Sultan badalne wala hai, 22 mein UP ka parinam badalne wala hai' and 'Aayega jab natija to akhbar dekh lena, iss baar cycle ki raftar dekh lena'.

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He also has a song on the stray cattle menace in the state which says, - 'Chahe kuchh bhi tum kar lo jugaad Babaji, tumko wapis karenge tere saand Baba ji'.

Former SP MLC Ashu Malik, who has composed at least five songs, said party workers were composing songs on their own for the campaign and the trend was catching on.

"We have released a song, 'Janata pukarti hai Akhilesh aayiye' while another song in praise of patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav, says 'Teri alag sabse yahan baat Mulayam'. We have a song, 'Leader jo sabko le kar saath chale' for Akhilesh," he said.

The Congress, meanwhile, is banking largely on the 'Ladki hoon, lad sakti hoon' theme song that is already popular on social media.