Indian National Congress, the majority party in ruling coalition in India understands the need to increase their online presence. Congress has lacked sorely when it comes to making their presence in the online and Social Media world, especially compared to their opposition party BJP (read Narendra Modi), whose achievements have been incessantly being talked about on social media platforms.
With over 125+ million Indians now on the internet, web/social media is increasingly playing a major role in political campaigning. To address this, the ruling government has launched “Bharat Nirman” portal, which talks about the development India has witnessed over last 10 years under them.
For a change, the portal does not have the legacy look that we are used to seeing in regards to most government websites. The Bharat Nirmal portal showcases various initiatives and some landmark bills that have been passed by the government.
Some of the initiatives that are put up on Bharat Nirman portal include Aadhar, Direct Benefit Transfer, Food Security Bill, Land Acquisition Bill, Street Vendors Bill and real estate regulations passed. The portal showcases various TVCs and creatives for ad campaigns undertaken for each of these initiatives in 11 different languages. Bharat Nirman website also has a English and Hindi version.
The portal is part of 360 degree Bharat Nirman campaign which also includes extensive television, print, outdoor and radio advertising.
Bharat Nirman campaign now also have their Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Google+ pages that will (hopefully) be place where government can interact and get feedback from common junta.
Our Take
There is no doubt that Congress needed a big push in their online presence and Bharat Nirmal campaign definitely provides it. However, the success of these online initiatives completely depends on how involved they are with it. People behind the platform need to continuously update, interact and put effort to make it successful. Bharat Nirman should not be just a “notice board” or a announcement platform for Congress – they need to go beyond that.
