1/7/14 After AAP, BJP and Congress launch smartphone apps to woo urban middle-class voters - The Times

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READ MORE Smartphone Applications | Modi Run | Congress App | BJP App | AAP Phone App
NEW DELHI: Less than 10% of Indian voters
use smartphone, yet it has emerged one of the
key battlegrounds for the upcoming national
elections with political outfits vying to launch
apps to woo new generation voters.
From top rivals BJP and Congress
to excitingstartup Aam Aadmi Party, political
parties are betting big on mobile apps to woo the
urban middle class and the estimated 150 million
first-time voters in the age group of 18-23.
While BJP launched an app called 'India272+'
on January 1, Arvind Kejriwal's AAP is
revamping its app to accelerate its bid to grow
across the country after its stunning electoral
debut in Delhi. The ruling Congress, too, plans to
launch two apps to engage its cadres and win over the urban youth.
Experts say that besides helping parties to prove they are tech-savvy, mobile apps will be used to
enroll volunteers, create a platform for workers to share thoughts and provide campaign news
and election information.
"Parties have to talk the language of the new generation and use as many ways as possible to
reach out. The more plural the better," said social scientist Shiv Vishwanathan. He said having an
app makes parties seem more up-to-date and if one party does it, everyone else will do it.
India is estimated to have 51 million smartphone users, some 89% more than in 2012. This rapid
growth, coupled with the fact that people spend a lot of time on smartphones, make digital media
strategy something no big party can afford to miss out in the long run.
Apps to have direct and indirect impact
BJP's 'India272+' has already been downloaded more than 10,000 times on the Android platform.
The party's IT cell head Arvind Gupta hopes to mobilise "over a million volunteers" with the app.
The app allows volunteers to share updates through social media platforms and participate in
Var uni Khosla & Rav i Teja Shar ma, ET Bur eau | Jan 7 , 2 01 4, 1 1 . 3 6 AM IST
After AAP, BJP and Congress launch smartphone
apps to woo urban middle-class voters
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Experts say that besides helping parties to prove
they are tech-savvy, mobile apps will be used to
enroll volunteers, create a platform for workers.
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1/7/14 After AAP, BJP and Congress launch smartphone apps to woo urban middle-class voters - The Times of India
timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/After-AAP-BJP-and-Congress-launch-smartphone-apps-to-woo-urban-middle-class-voters/articleshow/28508104.cms 2/3
forum dialogues on its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.
Congress plans to roll out two apps in the next couple of weeks. 'With Congress' will be an
unofficial app for Congress volunteers with weekly quizzes and contests.
The official Congress app, which is yet to be named, will give voters information such as electoral
data and candidate profiles and history of Lok Sabha. "There are several million smartphone users
in the country and it does become important to reach out to the urban community via the use of
apps," said Congress spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi.
Aam Aadmi Party's IT cell head Ankit Lal said the party's app for Android has had about 10,000
downloads so far and they are launching an iPhone app in the next two weeks. The revamped app
will have news stories and other information about AAP in regional languages besides replicating
what is there in the existing app. "Some voters and volunteers may not be friendly with Twitter
and might prefer to have more personalised information on their phones. We want to provide that
option to all voters," Lal said. Brand expert Santosh Desai said political apps will have both direct
and indirect impact on the urban voter. "Urban constituencies are important and parties are
trying to harness and mobilise passive supporters into active supporters (with their apps)," he said.
Political commentator Paranjoy Guha Thakurta said parties are trying to reach as many people as
possible, especially the young urban voter. Globally, political outfits have been using apps to
collect information of the voter base.
During the 2012 US presidential campaign, team Barack Obama had launched a voter
information app to support his re-election. The American president has 40,838,672 followers on
Twitter. In November 2013, the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan launched seven applications
for its voter base. This included party information as well as racing games.
In India, too, several unofficial political games surfaced on the digital media last year that
included Modi Run and Aam Run.
1/7/14 After AAP, BJP and Congress launch smartphone apps to woo urban middle-class voters - The Times of India
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