With the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls now entering a decisive phase, the political parties are going all out in their efforts to woo the electorate.It is not just the usual bijli, pani and sadak promises, women safety too is slowly but surely becoming the focus of the electoral campaign. And the main Opposition BJP is now set to launch a unique mobile application for women’s safety.
The mobile app for android phones can be used in times of distress to alert people known to the victim. As soon the application is activated, it will send messages to all the frequently called numbers from the person’s mobile phone, besides posting updates on social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook. The messages and updates would provide the location of the caller so that it would be possible to track her down.
Talking about the application, which is scheduled for launch on Monday, BJP leader Meenakshi Lekhi said she along with some other people were pushing to bring the safety application into practical use.
“This unique feature would be launched across the country so that not just women,even men who want to use it, benefit,” she told Express.
In fact, the BJP has been intensively using technology to reach out to the people, especially the younger generation. And party workers have been independently developing merchandise and other mobile applications to woo the voters, but it is for the first time that an application having practical use for the people has been developed.
The issue of women’s safety had acquired prominence in the wake of the horrendous December 16 rape-murder of a young BPT student inside a DTC bus here. And the political parties had realised, somewhat belatedly, that women’s safety was a key issue especially in the urban areas and even in smaller towns.
Women make up over 49 per cent of the country’s electorate. Besides, they are vocal advocates of their rights in some of the urban pockets.
According to the Election Commission data, the percentage of women voters has witnessd an increase in the last couple of years, even outnumbering the male voters in some cases.
With the increase in mobile penetration the use of smartphones is also on the rise. By 2016, there will be over 400 million smartphone users in the country as per the industry projections.