In western UP, wedding card is the new pamphlet!

The impact of farmers’ protests and upcoming elections could be seen in the wedding cards being printed in Western Uttar Pradesh and neighbouring States. Some use the invitation to spread awareness about the farmers’ issues, some utilise them as glorified pamphlets to seek votes for the party of their choice and others want to use them as reminders for their candidature for the party ticket.

Recently, the wedding card of Vaibhav Yadav, district president of Samajwadi Party’s Chhatra Sabha in Rampur, went viral as it carried photos of not only patron Mulayam Singh Yadav and party president Akhilesh Yadav but also senior party leader Azam Khan.

Through the card, Mr. Yadav sought votes for the party and the release of Mr. Khan. He said, he wanted to “spread awareness” among people that Akhilesh Yadav should become the next Chief Minister and “remind them of the atrocities” committed on Azam Khan and his family.

Mr. Yadav said the card became the talk of the town and he received several calls. “People usually don’t read wedding cards seriously. I made sure people took note of the message.”

The trend could be seen in States that share a border with Haryana or Western Uttar Pradesh.