BJP gets help from unofficial ‘SMS campaign’

The mobile user is greeted by a introductory SMS within 2 minutes,which says,”friends of BJP is a subject of the educated civil society comprising youth and professional that is BJP-leaning,and willing to be vocal about it.”

The SMS further says the objectives of the campaign are three-fold – outreach-help grow support for BJP,Ideas bank-provide a channel for members to give inputs to the BJP leadership and Votes and Seats- help BJP win more seats by using help from members to get one lakh new voters in every constituency.

The saffron party had in 2004 used state-of-the-art campaigning,including the recorded telephonic voice of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. However,the ‘India shining’ campaign failed to make any mark.

“The conventional style of campaigning would still have its own importance. These kind of innovative methods can only supplement the regular methods like rallies and one-to-one contacts. It cannot substitute the approved methods,” party General secretary Arun Jaitley said.

Jaitley feels that such campaigns are an effective method of mapping the pulse of the voter and to get valuable viewpoints.

Jaitley is a special invitee in two of the meetings organised by the ‘friends of BJP’ in Mumbai and Pune later this month.

The group has plans to organise more than 40 such conclaves in different urban centres in the country in the run-up to the polls,Jaitley said.

However,the party said that the SMS campaign was not part of BJP’s official campaign. “It is not an official campaign. It could be an initiative of the supporters of the party,” said party’s IT cell chief Pradyut Bora.

However,the official website of Advani has a link welcoming to enrol as a volunteer in the veteran leaders Prime Ministerial campaign.

As per sources,the volunteers have been clubbed state-wise and also given key responsibilities in the party campaign in their areas. The party has also organised special workshops for the volunteers.

The party has also launched Advani@campus,a campaign aimed at roping in college students for the party’s campaign.