GANDHINAGAR: With a new chief minister and council of ministers at the helm, the state government is planning a mega drive to reach out to the masses through a fresh publicity campaign. Newly appointed chief minister Bhupendra Patel is likely to kick-start the campaign by next week.
A key source aware of the development said, “Huge money spent on the publicity material highlighting former CM Vijay Rupani and deputy CM Nitin Patel is wasted now.” The source added, “Hoardings across the state; publicity material of all the schemes; photos of the CM in all government offices and calendars; and posters on ST buses, among others, will have to be changed.” He went on to say: “Long-term publicity contracts will also have to be revised to include the photos of the new CM and ministers.”
Sources said that although the preparation and estimation of the campaign to promote the new CM may take a few days, it is expected to be very aggressive keeping the next year’s assembly elections in mind.
Sources further said that in the next couple of days, the CM is expected to launch new field-level public-engagement programmes which will be indirectly aimed at branding the new government. “More direct engagement about the schemes for public benefit will be planned with new names,” the source said. “A few programmes are likely to start in the next two weeks. Expenditure of the new campaign will be accounted for in the supplementary budget, so there might not be a direct special budget allocation.”
