Say you have national or regional elections. In any type of democracy (or (semi-dictatorships) career politicians will fight for your (or fictional/alleged) vote, left and right. Every year more and preposterous amounts of money are thrown out the window to get the message out, aka pandering to the base with promises that would shame a few characters in Alice in Wonderland. Cynics would say “money buys votes”.
Imagine this for a moment. Suppose they would forget all the propaganda and pompous rhetoric and be honest and just buy us off, period. One step further, why not buy our votes by giving away new bicycles. That would be something, right? “Nah, man, you’re out of your friggin’ mind!” I hear you say.
Think again: Bicycle makers get a welcome push from polls
Some state governments have begun to distribute bicycles for free to schoolchildren and the poor to pull in votes
“New Delhi: For four years, the Indian bicycle industry has pedalled along at a leisurely rate of growth, but companies in the business are now putting on a burst of speed ahead of elections in key states this year and the general elections next year.
Some state governments have begun to distribute bicycles for free to schoolchildren and the poor to pull in votes. And the leader of one party, which has the bicycle as an election symbol, has promised to do more not just for the people but also for the symbol if he is voted to power—free bicycles for students.”
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Pedal power: A file photo of activists at a BJP rally. Political parties have begun to distribute bicycles for free to pull in votes. AFP
“Last month, N. Chandrababu Naidu, the former Andhra Pradesh chief minister and leader of the Telugu Desam Party, whose party symbol is bicycle, announced he will distribute bicycles for free to students if he is voted to power.
For the first time, Bihar recently floated a tender for 200,000 bicycles.
And several other states, including Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, are providing bicycles for free to schoolchildren.”
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“The Poll Cycle
The bicycle industry’s growth has been unprecedented this year primarily due to elections, said Satish Dhanda, managing director, Sadem Industries, a bicycle manufacturing company. He is also the chairman of Engineering Export Promotion Council, a trade body governed by the country’s commerce ministry.
Orders for 1.4-1.5 million bicycles have already been placed by various state governments this year, up from 1 million last year, Dhanda said.
A bicycle can cost between Rs2,300 and Rs5,000.”
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“Commuting Concerns
And Jesim Pais, a teacher at the New Delhi-based policy research body Institute for Studies in Industrial Development, owns a car and a scooter, but cycles to work 4km away, after dropping his two-year-old daughter at a neighbourhood creche. “I just find it more convenient to use a cycle than a car,” says Pais.
Still, India doesn’t have a cycling culture, says Ludhiana-based Avtar Bhogal, who exports axle hubs to Europe. “In Europe, you can expect a chief executive of a company to ride to office. In India, a politician rides for publicity for one day and the media is all over about it. Then, everyone forgets.”
In June, Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party pledged to ride a cycle to work once a week to protest a hike in fuel prices announced by the Union government.
He stopped his pedal-pushing protest last week.”
WHAT TO DO NOW?