| BJP
leader and MP for Mumbai northeast, Kirit
Somaiya, has chalked out an interesting
campaigning strategy. Apart from sending
SMS to cell phones of residents, the media-savvy
politician is now sending recorded telephonic
messages to residents of his constituency.
Says Nirav
Chandran, of Yuvak Pratishthan, an NGO headed
by Somaiya, “This is a scientific
mode of communicating with our voters.”
The recorded message is played in three
languages — Hindi, Gujarati and Marathi.
Chandran says
that Somaiya’s office has collated
the database of people to be called from
MTNL directory. “We sorted the numbers
on the basis of area pin code. There are
2,60,000 residential lines in the constituency,
which stretches from Mulund to Kurla,”
says Chandran.
Explaining
how the party is planning to call 2,60,000
people, Chandran says, “A pre-recorded
message has been stored in the computers
at the call centre from where it is played.”
The party
office is happy with the response from citizens.
“The response has been tremendous.
Citizens have been touched. For the first
time, an MP has made an attempt to directly
get in touch with people about the work
he has undertaken.”
Apart from
telephone numbers, the MP also has a database
of 7,000 e-mail IDs. “It is difficult
to catalogue e-mail addresses constituency-wise.
But we will go ahead with our plans to stay
in touch with citizens by this mode of communication
as well,” says Chandran.
Also
staff has been stationed Somaiya’s
office in Mulund to give feedback to the
voters on the issues pertaining to the voting
list. “We have been sending the message
via SMS. The message also contains telephone
numbers. The voters can calls us back to
get details,” he adds.
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