Maharashtra: BJP takes a digital leap to woo voters ahead of civic polls
One can now hear Devendra Fadnavis' speech through the 'Invite CM' app in English, Hindi or Marathi.
Elections to 10 municipal corporations in Maharashtra, including Mumbai, are round the corner and as part of the campaigning, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will talk about the Bhartiya Janata Party's (BJP) endeavour to bring in transparency in governance.
This is a regular drill during election season but in this case the chief minister stands right in front of you in your living room and seeks your vote albeit virtually.
"You won't be able to tell the difference," said Hyderabad filmmaker Mani Shankar whose company Avantari, working closely with an Australian startup Nudge Ink, has conceptualised this idea using augmented reality.
- Download the Invite CM app on phone, print out a marker (which is available online), and place it on the floor. The app will recognise this marker and a 3D hologram of Fadnavis will appear on it. Hear CM Fadnavis deliver a five-minute-long address. One can choose between English, Hindi and Marathi.
- "You move your phone away and the image will appear smaller; go closer and it will appear larger," Shankar said.
- He had first introduced the idea of 3D holograms in Narendra Modi's campaign for the Gujarat Assembly election in 2012. Modi's 55-minute long speech was broadcast simultaneously at 53 locations in 26 cities, a Guinness World record.
- The BJP, during the 2014 General Elections, had organised 3D rallies of then prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.
- The new 3D technology -- the first of its kind application of augmented reality for an election campaign -- has got party officials of the BJP in Maharashtra excited with the "chief minister quite delighted".
- Shankar plans to launch an advanced version of the current 3D hologram later this year. "It will have interactive features too," he said.
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