BJP uses PM Modi’s voice to woo voters in West Bengal
KOLKATA: ‘Amar priyo bhai or bonera, Subho Nabarasha. Apnara sobai kemon achen?’ (My dear brothers and sisters, Happy Bengali New Year. How are you?).
This greeting in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s voice is reaching millions of people in West Bengal over the phone as part of the BJP’s campaign to woo voters.
“PM Narendra Modi is reaching out to each individual voter personally,” said Neeraj Gaur, in-charge of the BJP’s IT and social media communications during the Bengal assembly polls. “Calls are going to voters in which Narendra Modi’s message in his own voice in Bengali and Hindi is being communicated.”
“What better way to connect with the people of Bengal and push for BJP’s development agenda.”
Bengalis celebrated their new year on April 14, and the BJP is looking to use the occasion to spread its message. A database of 45 out of 65 million voters in the state has been prepared and the party claims to have already called around 20 million of them.
Gaur, who successfully led BJP’s IT teams in Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir, is now looking to replicate his success in Bengal. The BJP has set up a media and communication unit in Kolkata with branches in all districts, and a 30-person centre in central Kolkata with a state of the art communication system that handles all calls.
“At one point, we are sending around 3 to 4 lakh calls in various assembly constituencies. More than one call is reaching indi- vidual voters. Apart from calls, we are campaigning in social media and other forms of communication like never before in Bengal. We have a trained, dedicated team in place,” said Gaur.
Each phone call lasts around 30 seconds and targets all sections of the society, including students, senior citizens and women.
There is also a mechanism in place to track the calls to gauge voter interest.
“We get feedback as to how long the target listened to the call. If a person listens to the call for 26 seconds or 30 seconds, we will go to the next step and send him such calls frequently. The first call by Modiji is a greeting. But next call onward he discusses issues like unemployment, law and order situation, corruption,” said a senior BJP leader. “Lastly, he appeals for vote on the development agenda.”
The PM’s message, apart from the greeting and an oration of DL Roy’s ‘Dhana Dhanne Pushpa Bhara’ patriotic song, highlights corruption of TMC leaders, the Saradha scam, Narada sting operation and deteriorating law and order situation in the state before an appeal for vote.