Highlights
- This year’s Victorian elections will take place on 26 November.
- There are over 30 candidates of Indian origin contesting for state elections this year.
- Nearly 4.4 million Victorians have registered as voters this year.
Mr Kumar is a campaigner for ALP candidates this year and has been helping Indian-origin candidates to reach out to voters.
“Election is not an easy task.. Each area or seat has different set of issues and for candidates it is critical to know them and highlight it during their campaigns,” Mr Kumar comments.
Source: Supplied / Manoj Kumar
“A good campaign always align its leader’s message and party commitments with local needs of the electorate and its voters,” he points out.
“One needs to be visible on the ground. In addition to door-knocking, calling, and dropping party pamphlets in letter boxes, you also have to be mindful of what you say. One needs to choose issues wisely,” he added.
As Mr Kumar points out, getting a foot in the door requires a clear campaign strategy. “Day to day monitoring and evaluating is needed,” he said.
“There is a team of volunteers and party support for the candidate during the campaigns.. but it could be quite exhausting and challenging routine for the candidates,” he said.
A former Labor party candidate from Forest Hill in 2018, Mr Kumar said in the Indian Australian community, there was a growing interest in joining politics, but there was still a lot to be done.
Manoj Kumar with Premier Daniel Andrews Source: Supplied / Manoj Kumar
“It is not easy to become a candidate of any political party. As a politician one must remain connected to his or her preferred party as well as engage in social work,” Mr Kumar said.
“If you want to be a politician, you need to deeply root yourself in the party you want to join,” he suggested.
In response to a question about ALP policies, Mr Kumar said he felt ALP policies were very aligned with the interests of South Asian diaspora.
Some of the policies he outlined included free kindergarten for children between the ages of three and four, clean energy, and multicultural events funding.
“Funding for the various multicultural events and festivals align with the expectation of South Asian diaspora,” Mr Kumar said.
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