KOCHI: Augmented reality, mobile apps, and data analytics. This Lok Sabha election is seeing candidates employing some of the latest digital tools to not just woo voters with their plans and programmes but also to analyse past voter behaviour and keep track of the latest trends in the cyberspace and the social media.
In the state at least four Left candidates viz, P Rajeev (Ernakulam), KP Satheesh Chandran (Kasargod), A Sampath (Attingal) and C Divakaran (Thiruvananthapuram) have launched their mobile apps, while Hibi Eden, Congress candidate in Ernakulam, is expected to launch his app in the coming days.
“Parties are analysing social media trends, past voting patterns etc using technology,” says Vineet Chandran, a techie working in Technopark, Thiruvananthapuram. He along with other software professionals in Infopark, Kochi, was behind making the mobile app for Rajeev, Divakaran, and Sampath. “Actually, we were initially asked to make the mobile app for Rajeev. After seeing the app, the partymen working for Divakaran and Sampath have also approached us for making their apps,” said Vineet. The apps have various features, including providing voters updates on their plans, programmes, and notifications on Facebook live, among others, he said.
Going a step further is the mobile app for Hibi Eden. “It’s augmented reality app. The app is developed in such a way that it will play the promotional videos of Hibi Eden when you scan his election posters. Perhaps, this will be the first such AR-app for an election or a candidate in India,” said Abhijit PJ of Strokx Technologies, which developed the app titled ‘Kaipathy’ or the Congress symbol ‘hand.’
Sreenath VP, one of the founders of Kochi-based Tech by Heart, which developed the mobile app for Sathish Chandran, CPM candidate in Kasargod, said the details of the candidate, the development programme, speeches can be viewed from any part of the world through the app. “An interesting feature of the app is the feedback option of the voters,” Sreenath said.