The 81 hi-tech ‘raths’ (campaign vehicles) sent to 81 constituencies of the State by the BJP and another 35 odd vehicles of JMM loaded with state-of-the-art audio visual technology might look like a normal campaign exercise for a layman. However, the strategy to launch such vehicles seems to be a well thought out act by the think-tanks of both the political parties.
If experts of the field of Psychiatry and Psychology are to be believed the glittering glory of the vehicles especially the audio visual content shown to the masses leaves a huge impact on their minds than the traditional methods of campaigning.
“Audio-visual content affects the human psychology because when somebody is listening something it’s different but when someone visualizes something and the way the things being communicated that is assimilated that way. Essentially, how the person is communicating matters the most. It’s like communicating with the subject face to face. Television does affect the psychology of people in a big way,” said Dr. Amool Ranjan, Director of Ranchi Institute of Neuropsychiatry and Applied Sciences (RINPAS) when asked about the impact of the campaign vehicles on human psychology.
“If the content is convincing, they will go for it,” added Dr Ranjan when asked whether the rural masses would cast votes for a particular party being influenced with the hi-tech campaign vehicles. “Sometimes people identify with the people delivering the speech on the audio visual media. So with similar ideology they start identifying themselves with the person on the screen delivering the speech. It happens in our day to day life also so there is no doubt it would have a considerable impact on the casting of vote also,” he added.
The BJP and the JMM have launched ‘Rath’ politics for Assembly elections in Jharkhand by sending campaign vehicles, equipped with Global Positioning System (GPS) and latest means of communications, including lED screens to spear the messages of their top leaders in the rural areas.
The BJP’s campaign vehicles are playing excerpts of PM Narendra Modi’s speeches delivered across the country in the last few months at different locations like schools, colleges, markets, bus stands, chaupals etc. in around 20,000 meetings, say party officials. The JMM’s vehicles, on the other hand, are highlighting the achievements of the coalition government during the last one and half year other than the excerpts of Chief Minister Heamant Soren and party chief Shibu Soren’s speeches.
The vehicles are also attracting large number of villagers in the rural backdrop of the state. Suring the first phase of poll campaigning huge gatherings were witnessed around the vehicles in Gumla, lohardaga, Bishunpur, latehar and other areas.