CHENNAI: The last three political entrants in Tamil Nadu - Kamal Haasan, Vishal Krishna and Rajinikanth - have more in common than just their backgrounds as actors. All of them announced apps to connect with their followers immediately after their political plunge.
This shows the latest generation of politicians acknowledging the importance of the omnipresent digital sphere and its potential for expanding their sphere of influence.
Currently, only Rajinikanth’s app, Rajini Makkal Mandram, is available for download in the Google Play Store and has garnered over 1,00,000 downloads within a week of its launch, making it the second political app in the country after the BJP’s to cross that milestone.
But the BJP’s app was launched almost two years ago. Prima facie, it might look like a big win for Rajinikanth’s app but the plateauing of the downloads for the BJP’s app in the last year will be a cause of concern for team Rajini, considering the similarities they share.
Both apps are relatively light, enable the users to register themselves into the political outfit and provide updates about events and happenings.
They serve as one-way communication systems without any real-time plug-ins and don’t allow users to connect with one another.
Despite the crash in mobile data prices, faster internet speed and Indians downloading more apps from the Google Play Store than people of any other nationality, digital experts feel political apps will not catch on if they don’t reinvent themselves and take the user into consideration.
Taking Facebook, the most downloaded social media app as a reference point, Yusuf Omar, the former social reporter at CNN, says, “Political apps will have to provide the user with certain tools such as aggregated resources which they can’t access on social media sites. Otherwise spending resources on boosting posts on a page in Facebook is a much better option.”
Other experts feel that political apps aren’t sustainable. “These apps are in their nascent stage and if they don’t measure up to the standards set by existing ones and the facilities they offer, they will become irrelevant,” says Ashok Thomas, head of Adroit Public Relations.
A strong advocate of the human element, Thomas says the apps will catch on only if the men behind the apps simultaneously indulge in non-virtual interactions with followers.
Maiyam Whistle might actually stand a chance
Murmurs of Vishal’s app - VShall - have died down ever since his nomination for the RK Nagar bypoll was cancelled but Kamal’s app - Maiyam Whistle - is in beta testing and might be slightly more advanced than Rajini’s and the other parties.
Kamal Haasan during the launch said the app would help connect whistle-blowers across the State. While the agenda might have a limited audience, it will connect users. The app displays certain qualities that Omar points out. Nonetheless, with almost 80 per cent of mobile time being spent on entertainment, social media and messaging, political parties fighting for exclusive space on mobile phones will find their backs against the wall.
Rajini makkal manram office bearers named
CHENNAI: The office-bearers of the Rajinikanth Makkal Manram Vellore district were announced by the administrator of All India Rajinikanth Fan Club, V Sudhakar, on Sunday. ‘Sozhingar’ N Ravi has been announced as the secretary while R ‘Needhi’ Arunachalam has been announced as the joint secretary.
‘Vaniyambadi’ G Ganapathy, ‘Poigai’ P Rajan Babu and Muhammad Khalifah have been appointed as deputy secretaries. While C Sangeetha will lead the women’s wing, P Arun will lead the youth wing of the fan club in Vellore. Rajinikanth’s team also announced that the functionaries of the branches of the outfit in panchayats, municipalities and corporations will be elected democratically