From dada to dadu, Pranab Mukherjee has come a long way in the villages of his Jangipur constituency.

“Pranab dadu ke vote din (vote for grandfather Pranab)” — that’s how poll graffiti seeks support for the 74-year-old External Affairs Minister.

Muhammed Ahakruzaman, Congress president of Raghunathpur Block II, explains the transition of the veteran Congress leader. “Whenever Pranab Mukherjee visits the villages, he tells youngsters ‘you all are like my grandchildren’. He appreciates being called dadu by the youth. Hence, the graffiti,” says Ahakruzaman. “However, you will also find graffiti addressing him as ‘Pranabda’, ‘Pranab babu’ and ‘Shri Pranab Mukherjee’.”

The personal touch makes sense in the constituency — he is seeking a second Lok Sabha term from Jangipur — where the total number of electorate has increased from 10,82,151 to 10,85,387, according to official estimates, and many of them are young voters.

Such graffiti abounds in gram panchayat areas of Kile Kanupur, Chandni Chowk, Ajgarpara, Miapara and Gopalnagar. Even during Mukherjee’s roadshows in the villages, the chorus of youths referring to him as dadu is hard to miss.

“He is a grand old man, he is our dadu. We are too young to address him as our elder brother. Such graffiti is appealing to young voters like us,” says Sheikh Ramzan, a youth from Kanupur.

To woo the young voters, Mukherjee’s campaign is focusing on development in the constituency and generation of employment avenues. It banks heavily on audio-visual media like documentary

films, which also showcase the numerous sporting activities which took place in Jangipur during Mukherjee’s last stint as MP.