On Saturday TIME's former journalist Anita Pratap (party's Ernakulum, Kerala, candidate), Infosys' former chief financial officer V Balakrishnan (Bangalore Central, Karnataka) and professor Mohan Mishra (Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh) held Google+ Hangout sessions.
Balakrishnan told Business Standard, "There is a huge set of people online who want their queries heard. This is a great medium to reach out to a large spectrum."
Ankur Lal, party's social media and information technology administrator, said as the election dates got closer, the party was utilising various other channels such as Youtube broadcast, Blackberry Channel, WhatsApp, Facebook, Quora, etc, to reach out to the urban voters.
This medium is not new to the party. Through it, chief Arvind Kejriwal, with seniors Prashant Bhushan, Yogendra Yadav and Manish Sisodia, has interacted with people on various issues, including why the party quit Delhi government in 49 days. The party claims during these interactions, it had got a substantial response and 5,000 viewers were present in a single interaction. The party plans to stage 60-70 candidates through this medium.
The party had broadcasted Kejriwal's Bangalore rally through Youtube. About 40,000 saw the rally live.
Bhartiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi made his debut on this application in 2012. It was a huge hit as 80,000 worldwide had joined him live. P Chidambaram, Milind Deora and Shashi Tharoor followed.
Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi recently held a session with party workers through this medium.
You’ve reached your limit of {{free_limit}} free articles this month.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
Already subscribed? Log in
Subscribe to read the full story →
Smart Quarterly
₹900
3 Months
₹300/Month
Smart Essential
₹2,700
1 Year
₹225/Month
Super Saver
₹3,900
2 Years
₹162/Month
Renews automatically, cancel anytime
Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans
Exclusive premium stories online
Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors


Complimentary Access to The New York Times
News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic
Business Standard Epaper
Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share


Curated Newsletters
Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox
Market Analysis & Investment Insights
In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor


Archives
Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997
Ad-free Reading
Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements


Seamless Access Across All Devices
Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app
)