Click to play videoPune: It's that time of the year when political parties get into a tizzy and Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Nav Nirman Sena (MNS) is all set to contest the civic polls for the very first time.
Party president Thackeray wants the first impression to be a lasting one and that's why he's taking no chances.
He wants to change his partymen's image and has given his workers strict instructions to be on their best behavior.
‘Civilised candidates for the civic polls’ – that is the mantra Thackeray's party will follow this time around.
The MNS candidate from Pune's Karve Road ward, Ram Borkar, is also an accused in the murder case of a Pune Municipal Corporator and was also arrested for vandalising MSEB property.
But Borkar is now working hard to get an image makeover. So what's the winning mantra?
“When we go campaigning to people's homes, we should wear a tilak and nice clothes, and speak properly to women,” said Borkar.
That's not all - MNS workers have also been instructed to avoid chewing gutka or paan when they're talking to voters.
Even bling is out, heavy gold chains and rings have been banned till Election Day. But the party workers aren’t complaining.
“There is a good response and people respect us and invite us to their homes and offer us tea. They say we will takeover,” said Borkar.
But whether these attempts to woo voters works wonders or not will be clear only on Election Day.
(With inputs from Meenakshi Srikandath)
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