Assembly elections are around the corner in the states of Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala, West Bengal and Assam. Actors entering politics is not uncommon in Tamil Nadu which has a distinct history of attracting film stars to electoral politics and making them chief ministers. This time, some popular actors have thrown their hats into the political ring. The electorate is witnessing a charm offensive launched by these actors and their fans. With so many candidates from different political parties, this election is not going to be a one-horse race for movie stars. People enjoy playing guessing games and predicting which political party or alliance is going to win the assembly election and form governments in each of the five states. It is interesting to see how ordinary folks become pollsters. Are people aware that they are like turkeys voting for Christmas?
As we are going to discuss polls and politicians in the days to come, it is good to be familiar with words and phrases that are related to elections. What does the phrase ‘round the corner’ mean? If something is going to happen very soon or in the near future, we say it is round the corner or ‘around the corner’.
Here are examples of how the idiom is used in sentences:
Electoral reforms are just around the corner.
I voted for the party hoping something better is around the corner.
The idiomatic expression ‘to throw one’s hat in the ring’ means to express willingness to take up a
challenge or to stand in an election: Actor Kamal Haasan has also thrown his hat in the poll ring. What is the meaning of ‘charm offensive’? It refers to a “situation in which a person, for example a politician, is especially friendly and pleasant in order to get other people to like them.”
Fans of some actor-politicians have launched a charm offensive. Will it convince the electorate?
The recent visit of the Home Minister to Tamilnadu was described as a charm offensive.
The expression ‘a one-horse race’ refers to a competition in which only one participant has a chance of winning: A decade ago, in many constituencies in West Bengal the CPI-M had a one-horse race. The idiomatic expression ‘turkeys voting for Christmas’ refers to a situation in which a choice made by someone is clearly against their own interest. Turkeys are commonly eaten as part of the Christmas dinner in countries where Christmas is celebrated.
What are the verbs that are frequently used with the word ‘election’?
1. To hold/conduct an election
When will the results be announced for the legislative assembly elections held in Kerala?
2. To win/lose an election
Any guess which political party or alliance will win the election in West Bengal?
3. To fight/stand in an election
Though she fought the election as an independent candidate, she won.
4. To vote/cast a vote in an election
Not everyone in my family was interested in voting in the parliamentary election.
