A campaign vehicle of All India Forward Bloc in Bhubaneswar. Telegraph picture

Sankha, sankha, sankha goes the popular BJD campaign song set to the tune of Tang, Tang, Tang from Ranvir Singh, Arjun Kapoor-starrer Gunday.

It urges voters to vote for chief minister Naveen Patnaik and ensure a transparent government.

Such songs are a dine a dozen in this election, being churned out almost everyday. Music composer Manmath Mishra, who has joined the BJD and is overseeing the creative side of party’s Bhubaneswar-Central candidate Priyadarshi Mishra’s campaign, said: “The popular songs of Bollywood, Odia films and folk songs have become the choice of the party. Young voters are attracted to these songs.”

BJD has chosen songs such as Tu thile dara kahaku (with you on my side, I need not fear any one) from the Odia film with the same title and tweaked it a little. Naveen babu thile dara kahaku (with Naveen babu, we need not fear any one) goes the poll song.

The song glorifies Naveen’s larger-than-life image, which the party portrayed just recently before the 2014 general elections. In fact, before 2009 polls, Naveen babu was never projected as “Mahanayak” or great leader like his legendary father Biju Patnaik. Films apart, popular folk songs, especially the Sambalpuri tunes, are in the top of the chart for the campaign managers.

The Dalkhai songs of Sambalpur, which are sung with happiness after the harvest season, have included Naveen babu between the lines with one song starting with Sankha baje ghai ghai (conch is blowing incessantly). The Dalkhai tunes are also used by other parties.

Bharat Chandra Behera, a singer who records songs for various political parties during elections, said: “Around 500 tunes are there to base poll songs upon.”

“There are two packages available now in the market. If a candidate goes for four songs, slogans and speech, he/she has to spend Rs 8,000 only. On the other hand, if a person wants a song with original score, it would cost around Rs 30,000 for a single song,” Behera added.

Campaign team of Manoranjan Dash, an Indian National Congress candidate from Bhubaneswar North Assembly constituency is playing a tune of Hindi hit and critically-acclaimed Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ramleela, which says Manu bhai ku jitao (elect Manu bhai) on the tune of Dhol baje dhol baje.

Dillip Mohanty, the BJP candidate from Bhubaneswar North Assembly constituency has recorded a song for his campaign which has become a master remix with folk, Odia film songs and Bollywood.

“The song, which runs for 15 minutes, has all the elements of the hit remix tracks. But, the music is composed afresh. As the music arrangement costs more, it has the difference with the readymade tracks,” said a music composer.

Based on Gandi baat, gandi gandi gandi gandi gandi baat song of R…Rajkumar, many political parties have made their slogans. The songs begin with Jindabad jindabad following the tunes of the chartbuster from the Sahid-Sonakshi-starrer.

“The songs adopting popular tunes for election campaigning activities are attracting public attention,” said Rashmi Das, a homemaker from Pokhariput.

While most of the political parties are banking on the readymade route, there are exceptions with candidate such as Debi Prasad Prusty of the Forward Bloc, who is contesting from Bhubaneswar Central as an Assembly candidate. “We are not copying any idea or tune. Songs such as Lahoo ke rang ek hey in Hindi and Biswabijayi nai jawan in Odia are written, composed and sung by the members of the party. We think differently and we will continue to do that,” says Prusty.