The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Poll campaign goes hi-tech

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Wednesday, Mar 25, 2009
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Poll campaign goes hi-tech

Deepa Kurup

The online campaign scene has so far been a one-sided affair

— Photo: K. Ananthan

Parties have found new ways of reaching out to the voter.

BANGALORE: Like the way IT has changed lives radically, General Election Version 2.009 is likely to change the nature of campaigning. The first ripples of e-campaigning in the IT capital — with its substantial techie count and escalating urban, net-savvy electorate — are already being seen.

Touted as a “digital battle” between political parties, the online campaign scene in Karnataka has so far been a one-sided affair. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seems to have found its groove online and is far ahead of its adversaries: in terms of websites, SMS campaigns and aggressive advertising. While, the bare Karnataka Congress website continues to announce its “to-be-launched” status, the other major party Janata Dal (Secular) is conspicuous by its absence.

The nascent online battle borrows a significant byte or two from Barack Obama’s presidential campaign. This also comes at a time when the electorate is estimated to comprise a record number of under-35 and first-time voters, and delimitation has increased the number of urban constituencies. Out to woo the internet generation, the Obama-esque L.K. Advani pop-ups and numerous sponsored links declare the BJP’s Gen-Next status. The national-level online yatra finds echoes in its “grassroots” promotional drive in Bangalore, when techies enrolled in its ranks, will go door-to-door campaigning for votes. In Karnataka, the months-old BJP IT cell is also set to wage a virtual battle.

The grand ol’ Congress claims it will upgrade its technology quotient in the coming weeks. Unlike the BJP, they have no “internet policy” in place, but individual leaders are logging in. Krishna Byregowda, a sitting MLA and president of the Karnataka Pradesh Youth Congress Committee, has used the Internet in previous elections, has recently updated his website and claims he receives plenty of emails from constituents.

“Technology is not going to play any extraordinary role this time, though it is one of our many campaign tools,” the young MLA maintains.

Needless to say, the General Elections 2009 take centre stage on social networking sites such as My Space and Facebook where several groups have surfaced recently. However, how much of this virtual vote bank will make it to the polling booths remains to be seen.

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