BJP casts net wider, woos on the Web

AHMEDABAD, SEPT 7: E-mails, Net chats, TV talk shows and videos..... Move over traditional styles of canvassing, hi-tech campaigning is he...

AHMEDABAD, SEPT 7: E-mails, Net chats, TV talk shows and videos8230;.. Move over traditional styles of canvassing, hi-tech campaigning is here. Poll managers of leading political parties are this time packing a lot of on-line8217; stuff to catch voters where they are bound to sit and take note.

For the candidates, it means direct contact with voters with e-mail IDs in the ward, albeit a little impersonal. But it does save them a lot of walking around in the wards, ringing of door bells, shaking hands and kissing babies.

So you have the BJP media cell dropping e-mails to voters with a simple message: Vote for BJP8217;. A live chat between top BJP leaders and citizens on the BJP website is in the offing. And, there is a ready reckoner8217; of all candidates posted on the saffron website 8212; profiles, occupation etc.

Not far behind is the Congress with video tapes to convince voters the BJP8217;s development talk is only eye wash.8217;

Next are street plays in all the 43 wards. The Congress has teamed up with Vinod Naik and troupe to enact plays of the BJP8217;s misrule, corruption and nepotism.8217; Poll manager Ashok patel promises they are interesting to watch.

The BJP has even revamped its media cell to make it more Net-savvy. The brain behind the on-line8217; campaign is ironically mathematics professor Shashikant Yadav. Programmers Riddhesh Shata and Praindu Bhagat do the rest.

8220;We have compiled bio-datas and profiles of all the candidates and posted them on the site. You will find all election-related information on it too,8221; says Yadav. Even the BJP manifesto is on the net.

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Meanwhile, Maya Kodnani, city-district BJP president, is posting signed letters to citizens to give the campaign a more personal touch.

If poll managers are to be believed, the response has been so far very good. 8220;We are waiting for the Net chats to begin,8221; says BJP spokesman Bharat Pandya.

The approach is a little cautious though. 8220;We are experimenting with new styles of campaigning but that doesn8217;t mean we lose personal touch with our voters,8221; BJP men are quick to point out.

The Congress hasn8217;t gone on-line, but has filmed things the BJP wouldn8217;t like to discuss 8212; cattle menace, overflowing gutters and drinking water problem.

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8220;We never rated this kind of service from our media cell. Bio-datas and campaign material on floppies and at the click of a few buttons,8221; beam BJP corporators.

Congress corporators, not backed by such an organised media cell, are content saying they would like to meet their voters personally rather than shoot off e-mails and letters.