MUMBAI: Music has always been an effective bait for political parties trying to woo the masses on the eve of elections.

Now, the prim Communist Party of India has followed in the tracks of the Congress' Jai Ho campaign with a music led campaign of its own. The West Bengal ruling party launched an album on 28 March at the hands of CPM Chairman Biman Basu and CITU state president Shyamal Chakraborty in the presence of 35,000 people.

Composed by secretary of Kolkata-based NGO Sonata Foundation and a composer himself, Pranay Dutta, the Bangla album, �Kairin Akhon' comprises 12 tracks based on music therapy. I have composed the tracks based on classical ragas with specifications on every rhythm and notations. There are traditional folk tunes picked up from the Lal Garh area in West Bengal and we have inculcated it in the album after a lot of research.... Dutta, who is also a music therapist, mentions that the music in the album will have a therapeutic effect on voters.

The lyrics have been penned by Dutta himself and revolve around the issues of women's self-employment, Hindi-Muslim riots, industrialisation, land acquisition, as well as contemporary issues like riots in Nandigram and Singur etc. Says Dutta, Although these are tracks for political campaigning, the tunes don't stress on the political aspects. Also, I have tried to keep the music as raw as possible, using percussion instruments such as dhamsa and madol. These are the instruments conceived and used locally in the interiors of West Bengal and the audiences would instantly relate to it.... Renowned Bengali singers Raghav Chottopadhay, Lopamudra Mitra, Prany Dutta and others have rendered their vocals for the album.

The track will be used across media like television, radio, as well as the CPM's rallies in the state.

Pranay Dutta has been composing songs on subjects related to social awareness for the past 14 years. I have launched eights albums in the last few years on issues related to blood donation, HIV, preservation of culture etc with singers like Mahalaxmi Iyer, Sadhna Sargam and others,... he says.