Candidates in mayoral election are moving full steam ahead on the election campaign to win the hearts of Ranchiites and to the post of Mayor. However, in the race to outwit each other handful candidates are banking on technology to bridge the gap between themselves and voters whereas a majority seems to be relying on the time tested method of personal contacts.
Technology as a great enabler is the most preferred medium to reach out to masses and close the gap with voters who hold the key in elections. Ubiquitous social media and Android based applications is like a shot in the arm of tech-savvy candidates like the AJSU party backed candidate Barsha Gari. She is using facebook and WhatsApp to appease voters ahead of the election that is scheduled to be held on June 23. The trust on all pervasive social media is the motivating factor for the AJSU party backed candidate for putting her faith on social media.
“It takes very less time to campaign this way. Moreover, this also takes away the pain of travelling in the scorching heat. So far I have sent request to about 20,000 to 25000 people on WhatsApp,” said Gari.
Street plays and drama have always been a crowd puller. As an effective medium to draw attention of passerby, street plays are likely to be the part of ongoing campaign of the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) backed candidate Asha lakra. The candidate and her team will be relying on street plays to gather support in the election. Besides, lakra is holding meetings in different localities to galvanize supporters and mobilize voters. Team lakra is yet to give shape to strategies on using mass media for election campaign.
“We will start street plays in next few days. We are also considering social media to spread awareness about the symbol. However, I am holding public meetings mostly,” added lakra.
Surprisingly, door-to-door campaign is the most preferred method of campaigning in this election also. The unwavering trust on door-to-door campaign is visible with former Mayor Rama Khalho and whistleblower Durga Munda and almost every candidate in the poll ring are relying completely on the most widely used method of grabbing attention of the voters.
“Face to face interaction is always good. People know you and your symbol quite easily. This works well than any other method,” said Khalkho.
Munda is using surprise visits at squares to engage people in discourse over tea and convince them of his suitability for the post of Mayor of Ranchi.