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Candidates turn to social networking sites to woo tech savvy voters

Hindustan Times | By, Ludhiana
May 15, 2013 10:09 PM IST

With the zila parishad elections round the corner, candidates have taken the social networking websites route to entice the tech savvy voters. Candidates from both Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Congress are resorting to use of technologically advanced means, instead of just the conventional methods of wooing voters.

With the zila parishad elections round the corner, candidates have taken the social networking websites route to entice the tech savvy voters.

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Candidates from both Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Congress are resorting to use of technologically advanced means, instead of just the conventional methods of wooing voters.

A number of candidates have been communicating with people through Facebook to encourage them to vote and also updating their election-related activities and schedule of meetings on the website.

Harpreet Singh Shivalik, son of SAD legislator Darshan Singh Shivalik, is all for social networking sites for interacting with voters.

A graduate from Arya College, Ludhiana, Harpreet, said as he was not tech savvy, he rarely used social networking sites. But, after he was nominated from Baddowal constituency, he started using these sites seriously to connect with voters.

"Around 3,200 people, mostly from my constituency, are already connected to my Facebook account, and the number has been increasing daily. Earlier, I used to communicate with around 400 people in a day through the website," said Shivalik, a petrol pump owner.

"Besides interacting with voters online, I hold around 15 meetings in a day in different areas in the constituency which comprises 18 villages," he added.

Of the 41,171 voters of the constituency, Harpreet is expecting 90% people to cast their votes. Dakha MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali has been helping him in campaigning.

Even Congress candidate from Gill, Tanvir Singh Rania, has taken the e-way for campaigning.

Currently sarpanch of Rania village, Rania is contesting the zila parishad elections for the first time. A farmer by profession, Rania said around 28 villages fall under the constituency.

His son Manipal Singh, who is a civil engineering student, has been campaigning online for him.

Rania said a lot of villagers, especially youngsters, had started logging into social networking websites using laptops and smart phones. Therefore, they thought of campaigning through Facebook, which had indeed helped him reach more and more voters, he added.

Similarly, Kirandeep Kaur, a SAD candidate from Alamgir zone, has also been relying on social networking sites to reach out to voters.

A house wife, Kirandeep said he had been using social networking sites to interact with the youth and educate them about the importance of voting.

Her husband, Paramjit Singh Neetu, is a block samiti member and owns a marriage palace at Malerkotla road.

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