Politicking In Cyberspace: Ruling The Net To Net In More Votes

It is difficult to imagine the khadi-clad politician (the odd N Chandrababu Naidu notwithstanding) employing computers to their advantage, leave alone exploiting the Internet to garner publicity. But now we have political parties of all hues playing politics in cyberspace. Click on for more.

But adopting a high-tech medium like cyberspace has not prompted them to dump the cultural traits that dominated their politics in the last four decades. Apart from the partys manifesto and the list of candidates, the websites post a wide range of information on the Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Communist Party of India (Marxist). The USP of each party comes across clearly.

 

If it is the Congress (http://www.indiancongress.org), then selective amnesia about anything without the Gandhi-Nehru tag dominates. Surely, it is not difficult to interpret as to who is the THE leader.

The saffron BJP (http://www.bjp.org) while reflecting the palpable power (that many believe they are poised to grab) also demonstrates its (apparent) clarity in saffron ideology and the party leadership.

On the other hand, the website of the communists (http://wwwdel.vsnl.net.in/cpim/) is so typical of its Robinson Crusoe island-like approach to reality-intellectually far removed. Their political language, seven years after liberalisation and glasnost in East Europe is still laced with class consciousness-whats that? And, their window to other international communist websites is revealing, what with a meter informing that you are the 6,848th visitor since June 1996.

A closer look at the three websites reveals much about the parties.

BJP: The Saffron Hope

The BJP is the party on a roll. Firm in the belief that they are on the threshold of power-unless of course the electorate serves them a nasty surprise-their body language says it all and the website, designed by PureTech India Ltd, retierates it. A little icon keeps flashing Vande Mataram (and for those who have sound blasters they can also hear its renedition) in all Indian languages even as one pans through the first page of the site.

The options include the news-flash, international media on BJP (not activated) and a small video clip of the campaign trail. It includes all pro-party reports and cartoons, together with items critical about its opposition.

An additional feature is the facility that permits a surfer to send any page to a friend anywhere in the world typical saffron way of expressing solidarity. The feedback form seeks individual details about the respondent and suggestions on rebuilding India. It also invites communication with top BJP leaders.

Congress: The Family Beckons

Unlike the BJP, there is a thorough lack of clarity in the Congress website on the leadership issue.

But then, as many observers point out, it is the partys style to understate the obvious and conceal what is uncomfortable. Conceived and designed by Media Workshop India Ltd, the website doesnt lack in technical content (though the background on some screens does impede easy reading) but falls way short in its contents.

Anybody with an average sense of history would be amazed to note that the Congress evolution, post-independence, begins with Jawaharlal Nehru, proceeds to Indira Gandhi and ends with Rajiv Gandhi.

The contribution of Lal Bahadur Shastri and P V Narasimha Rao is left to our imagination-and one has to infer from the various photo-posters of Sonia Gandhi that the new leader has arrived.

The partys website too carries a feedback form and promises a response. However, requests did not elicit any response from the countrys oldest party.

CPM: Communists Unite

True to their image, the CPI (M) website relies on the indigenous Internet service provider-the Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd. Not for them, the foreign servers used by the other two parties.

The site is very simply designed and conveys the partys ideology, the past and present honchos B T Ranadive, E M S Namboodiripad, Harkishan Singh Surjeet, Jyoti Basu. The biggest picture slot in the file has been predictably reserved for V I Lenin.