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Young and savvy net benefit
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Netas get tech-savvy and youth-friendly, tapping first-time voters through SMS campaigns and social network forums
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Campus connect Politicos reach out to campuses to tap first-time voters
Look who’s getting tech-savvy and pro-youth now. Reaching out to people will never be the same again after elections 2009. Younger netas are out to woo young voters with their home pages and interactive forums on social networking sites. Those who are not on social networks are busy finetuning SMS campaign strategies, learning SMS lingo and campus connect initiatives.
SMS campaigns started well before the elections were announced and now, it is about innovating to keep a discussion going.
The target audience, however, has a mixed responses to the ‘youth-friendly’ strategies.
Ishita Singh, a former NIFTian and an entrepreneur in her twenties, says, “Getting people-friendly for votes won’t take us away from the larger picture.
Mass SMS campaigns usually sell products or events and politicians have joined the group. It has almost become like spamming.”
BJP’s prime ministerial candidate L.K. Advani’s website announced the Advani@Campus programme designed to mobilise first-time voters from campuses.
According to the website, “several hundred young campaigners — drawn from the same educational and professional background as students in the various campuses — would fan out to over 5,000 colleges and talk to the student community on vital issues. They would also communicate Advani’s vision for Young India”.
The campaign harps for ‘CHANGE’ and urges students to invite the party members to their campuses. The website ( www.lkadvani.in) also features his blog.
Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi, Sachin Pilot and Omar Abdullah have launched their profiles on Facebook and take part in discussion forums.
A discussion titled ‘What are the things that Rahul Gandhi should do to get closer to the people of the nation?’ has Rahul Gandhi requesting for constructive ideas and replying to people’s messages.
Choeeta Chakraborty, final year student of Biotechnology, feels it’s a smart move to reach out to educated youth through pocket-friendly means such as SMSes. Nevertheless,
“We students know that politicians get people-friendly just before the elections. Once the voting is over, money and power take over. Students will use their sense of responsibility and identify serious agents of change,” she says.
Pavan Kumar, an engineering graduate, seconds this. “Every party wants to take a cue from Barack Obama’s campaigning strategy. But, campus connect initiatives may not make a huge difference here, since most students are gearing up for exams.”
The game for one-upmanship is only getting bigger. The BJP is reportedly in talks with Kevin Bertram, the brain behind Barack Obama’s cell phone poll campaign. Stay tuned for more.
Net Benefit
Rahul Gandhi, Sachin Pilot and Omar Abdullah are among those who have listed their profiles on Facebook and take part in interactions
L.K. Advani’s website features his blog and Advani@Campus programme aims to reach out to colleges
SANGEETHA DEVI DUNDOO
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Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Mangalore
Pondicherry
Tiruchirapalli
Thiruvananthapuram
Vijayawada
Visakhapatnam
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