The employment may be seasonal but the money is good. Besides, there are always bigger opportunities waiting in the not-so-distant future.
The 2012 elections in Uttar Pradesh are going to be a lot easier for candidates because, for the first time, the services of election management companies are available at hand and that too at a reasonable price.
At least three such companies have sprung up in Lucknow and five are waiting to open their doors in Allahabad and Varanasi.
These companies offer a wide range of services to the candidates — from keeping tabs on the rival candidates’ speeches to drafting the client’s speech, reaching out on door-to-door campaigning and preparing publicity material.
“While bigger companies simply prepare the advertisement campaign, we are going beyond that. We conduct a survey to list the local issues, draft speeches for the candidates, prepare his press releases and even get down to the actual campaign.
“Our boys and girls will reach out to young voters in places like multiplexes, malls, entertainment parks, colleges and institutions. We send the client’s message through sms and emails and even provide a round-the-clock secretarial support if asked for. The client does not have to bother about taking phone calls, keeping track of his appointments and being present where it matters most, we do it all,” says Anirudhh Kapoor who has just launched his election management company, tentatively called For You.
Mr Kapoor, a young graduate, has got nine of his friends into his “company” and plans to hire more hands as the election pitch increases.
“We are all presently jobless and the idea hit upon us when we saw the mad scramble at a candidate’s place. We thought that if we took charge of minor issues, the candidate could campaign with a free mind. We worked out the modalities and when we approached the candidates, his gave us his account within one hour. He even recommended us to another candidate in his party and that account also landed with us,” says Mr Kapoor.
Though Mr Kapoor is unwilling to disclose the amount his company is charging, sources say that the amount for services rendered ranges between `20 to 25 lakhs for the entire election period.
This does not include the cost of banners, hoardings, conveyance and other overhead charges.
“By the end of the elections, all of us will have about `1 lakh in our pockets and this money will help us opt for higher studies without adding to the burden of our parents. Besides, if it works out well, we may even float the company officially,” says Mr Kapoor.
Apart from this, the budding entrepreneurs hope that the experience will help them hone their PR skills and if their clients win the polls, they could get bigger openings.