Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Here's why Aligarh candidate wore 'garland of slippers' while campaigning
Independent candidate from Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh, Pandit Keshav Dev, decided to make the most of what the Election Commission has allotted to him as the poll symbol- a pair of slippers. Aiming to build recall of people, Dev was seen sporting a garland of 7 slippers around his neck during his campaign.
FollowIn an attempt to stand out from the competition, Pandit Keshav Dev, an independent running for the Aligarh Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh, has taken advantage of an odd poll symbol that the Election Commission of India has assigned him.
The independent candidate has been spotted on the campaign road with a garland of seven slippers, as his poll symbol is a pair of slippers. In a video shared on social media, Pandit Keshav Dev is seen wearing the slipper garland and a white turban, while being flanked by a few supporters.
A fan was holding a banner that said "samarthit bhrashtachar virodhi sena" (anti-corruption army) and included the candidate's image along with the symbol of a slipper poll. Next, he approaches street vendors, retailers, and ordinary people to ask for support for the impending national elections that are meant to "bhrashtachar ka vinaash" (destroying corruption).
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP's Satish Kumar Gautam won the Aligarh seat with 6,56,215 votes. He defeated the Bahujan Samaj Party's Ajit Baliyan who received 4,26,954 votes. Meanwhile, Congress candidate Bijendra Singh could only secure 50,880 votes.
In the 2014 Lok Sabha election, Satish Gautam won the seat for the first time, receiving a total of 48 per cent of votes.
On April 8, the Election Commission assigned poll emblems to each independent contender. The symbols, which included an ice cream cone, a laptop, and grapes, varied from the commonplace to the surreal. A fruit basket, helmet, jackfruit, refrigerator, toothbrush, sewing machine, and TV are among the other unusual poll symbols.
Another independent candidate from Assam's Golaghat seat, Trivedi Jyoti Bhiyun, has been given the symbol of grapes.
