Young voter

election campaigning in India. But times are changing because India’s electoral base has now shifted,and Young India is taking charge. Television channels too have recognised this paradigm shift and are now dishing out several programmes on voter awareness and choosing the right candidate.

Right from UTV Bindass’ I Change,India Change to Mat Dena on MTV,youth channels in the country are making sure that this year’s general elections will have a larger youth turnout.

MTV,with its young image is showcasing a couple of election-related programmes,and is targeting a large number of first-time voters through its show MTV Wassup. “This year probably has the most number of first time voters in the country. Our effort lies in encouraging them and giving them information about the contestants while also providing entertainment on the show,” says VJ Ayushman,anchor,MTV Wassup.

The channel’s pro-voting campaign,Mat Dena,has celebrities and veejays talking sarcastically about how things are good the way they are and that one shouldn’t vote. “The campaign sends clever messages to youngsters about how not voting can impact them,” says Pranav Kalra,a viewer. But according to Ashish Patil,GM and SVP – Content,MTV,it is just a tongue-in-cheek way of asking people to vote for the right candidate.

For Zarina Mehta,CEO,UTV Bindaas,it was the appalling statistics that only 12.5 per cent youngsters in the age group of 18-30 vote,that prompted UTV Bindaas to take up the responsibility of sending the youth to the polling booths. “It was the 26/11 attacks that prompted us to bring about a change of attitude. One should stop blaming others and cast ones vote and bring about a change. The I Change,India Changes programme gives the viewer guidelines on what to change and how to change it.” What makes the campaign more appealing is the presence of the Bollywood hottie John Abraham,who has been executing the Ungli Utha Bindass campaign on the channel. “We want to showcase that the finger stands for voting and that voters can point their finger at the politicians,if they do not fulfill their promises,” says Mehta.

If UTV Bindaas has Abraham rooting for them,Channel V has roped in young politicians like Priya Dutt to ask people to make the right choice through their Vote Ya Vaat campaign. “We are not promoting news about elections. For that,they can switch over to other channels. Our aim is to get people to recognise their leaders and exercise their vote,while also reassuring them all is not lost. There are leaders who can make a difference,” says Prem Kamath,general manager,Channel V. With VJ Juhi appealing to the viewers and Lola Kutty travelling across cities and testing people’s knowledge on elections,it looks like casting your vote is the ‘in thing’ this season.