By IANS,
Jaipur : Political parties in Rajasthan are all set to deploy traditional and modern tools of communication to reach out to the voters.
The 200-member state assembly goes to the polls Dec 4. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has 121 legislators and the Congress 53.
“Besides the usual campaign style of holding rallies, issuing advertisements on television channels and newspapers, we will make good use of SMS on mobile phones, video clips of the development work done by the Vasundhara Raje Government and distributing CDs”, BJP’s state vice president Arun Chaturvedi said.
He told IANS that the party had created a computer database of over 150,000 booth workers to be able to be in constant touch with them. “Finally they are the force to help woo the voters”, Chaturvedi added. The party will also make use of FM radio.
Though officially the BJP denies it to be its strategy, some party workers have come out with an innovative idea of distributing ‘mangalsutras’ among the women voters, suggesting that they remain wedded to the BJP.
‘Mangalsutra’ is a medallion worn by women as a symbol of being married.
“The mangalsutra has cost us Rs.35 per piece and we on our own had bought some for free distribution among our women party workers”, a BJP worker said.
The opposition Congress party in the state plans to use the Internet. “Internet and mobile phone services would be widely used for campaigning,” Satyendra Raghav, state spokesperson said. The party has also engaged an advertisement agency for the purpose.
The Congress plans to deploy mobile vans with big screen and projectors that will show a special film prepared by the party. The film shows the failures of the Vasundhara Raje government and the achievements of the Congress-led government at the Centre.