‘Mera Vote Mera Desh’ National Election Watch Campaign 2014 ---With Special Focus on Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
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‘Mera Vote Mera Desh’ National Election Watch Campaign 2014 ---With Special Focus on Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar All-India Campaign Context Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and National Election Watch (NEW) launched a nation-wide Campaign titled ‘Mera Vote Mera Desh’ for the Lok Sabha elections. The objective of the Campaign was to reduce the influence of crime and money in elections. The Campaign rolled out in different parts of the country, promoted the ideals of ethical voting, in tandem with the SVEEP campaign launched by the ECI. The main messages in the campaign included, “vote for clean candidates” and not yield to inducements during elections (“don’t sell your vote”). A gamut of activities were initiated in all states including awareness drives with community based organizations, colleges and universities, media campaigns using print/electronic media, social platforms like Facebook and Google, street plays etc. The Campaign was endorsed by a number of celebrities (local and national) whose messages to voters were relayed using various media like press releases, toll free Helplines, SMS services and out bound bulk calls. State Election Watch Partners took initiatives to spread awareness with close collaboration with the state CEOs, the ECI, other NGOs, educational institutions, NSS and other community based organizations. National Election Watch Campaign All-India Campaign Celebrity videos endorsing the Mera Vote Mera Desh campaign saw the participation of Prominent Journalists like Rajdeep Sardesai, Ravish Kumar, etc, Sports Personalities like Unmukt Chand, Sushil Kumar etc, Singers like Sona Mohapatra, Shankar Mahadevan etc and Actors like Sakshi Tanwar, Rituparna Sengupta among many others. An ADR anthem on voting was promoted on YouTube and by Facebook India among other social media Collaboration with popular YouTube channel The Viral Fever on voting was promoted on social media to encourage voting among young voters Links to videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXeNLCOlHhF-LbCOUJL2VCQ Information Dissemination All-India Campaign Two Android Applications: Myneta Disseminator and Election Watch Reporter were used during the election periods. The website (www.adrindia.org ) was revamped for the Lok Sabha elections to highlight disseminating material and the election and survey reports. The website www.myneta.info was used to provide information about the criminal and financial background of the contesting candidates The toll-free number 1800-110-440 was available on weekdays from 10 am to 6 pm to provide information to voters about their candidates The voters could use the ADR SMS service. There were more than 35,000 requests for information from voters on this service More than 2 crore SMSs were sent to voters giving information about their contesting candidates Social Media was used prominently to promote the reports, articles and inforgraphics pertaining to information about the candidates The last episode of Satyamev Jayate in its second season focused on criminalization of politics and the work done by ADR. Collaboration with Facebook (USSD service)*325# Collaboration with Google (Google elections page) Banners and Hoardings All-India Campaign Spreading the message • Roadways (140 buses) • Bus stands (45 cities) • Metro (7 trains in Delhi) • Movie theatres (911 screens) • Auto rickshaw (51 cities) • Railway Stations (16 cities) Candidate Reports All-India Campaign Press releases on the background of the candidates contesting in each phase of the election in each state were made by the respective state chapters to regional media. Number of press releases made in this period: 70 (approximately) All-India Campaign All India National Survey ADR along with Daksh, Bangalore, also undertook nation-wide survey of 2,50,000 voters in 530 Parliamentary constituencies to ascertain voters’ perspective on governance issues, the performance of their MPs and the role of caste, religion, crime and money in elections These reports were distributed across major states and released in the regional and national media. Campaigns rolled out in the States All-India Campaign In collaboration with more than 1200 NGOs across India, state specific campaigns were rolled out by state coordinators in the National Election Watch with the central theme and message being ‘Mera Vote Mera Desh’ Partners in the state collaborated with numerous grassroot organizations and worked closely with the State CEOs in launching and promoting the campaign The ‘Campaign on Wheels’ launched by various state partners across India had campaigners visit trains en-route distributing pamphlets about candidate information promoting the ideals of ethical voting. (Picture clicked in Jharkhand) Activities like street plays, seminars, workshops, padyatras, etc were an integral part of the campaign in order to engage margilized groups, women, the youth etc. Madhya Pradesh Campaigning through advertisements on Auto Rickshaws Voter Awareness drives - Mobile Vans, Yatras Methods Employed Youth Manifestoes Outbound Calls Bullock Cart Rallies Puppet Shows Public Meetings Signature Campaigns Youth Mobilization Campaigns Madhya Pradesh Press Conferences on ADR Reports Discussions in NSS camps Methods Employed Padyatras Oath Taking Rallies SMS Campaigns Impact of the Madhya Pradesh campaign More than 100 newspaper reports and 40 news channel discussions on press releases Geographical Reach Reached more than 15 lakh people • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Jabalpur Bhopal Sehore Dewas Vidisha Chatarpur Bijapur Maharajpur Tikamgarh Niwaari Jataara Pratwipur Khargapur Panna Pawai • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Chandla Katni Vijraghavgarh Bahoriband Mudwara Ichhawar Rajpoot Chatrawas Segaaon Khargone Khandwa Pohri Shivpuri Gunaaur Rajnagar Odisha Tabloid Van Methods Employed Oath Taking Ceremonies Motorcycle Rallies Road Shows Seminars and workshops State level Quiz Competitions Endorsements and videos with celebrities Panel Discussions on Radio and T.V “Mo Vote Mo Desha” My Vote My Country “Vote Deba Desha Gadhiba” Cast Vote Build Nation “Mo vote Souda Nuhen” My Vote is not for Sale Odisha Press Conferences on ADR Reports Methods Employed Outbound Calls Padyatras Youth Mobilization SMS Campaigns Impact of the Odisha Campaign More than 25 news channel discussions on press releases Reached more than 1.5 crore people in 30 districts Geographical Reach • Bhubanesh war • Sundargarh • Puri • Boudh • Kadhamal • Kalahandi • Bargarh • Balasore • Ganjam • Sambalpur • Jajpur • Koraput And 20 other districts Uttar Pradesh Campaigning through advertisements on Auto Rickshaws Methods Employed Padyatras Seminars in Colleges Engaging with Wage Laborers, women and other marginalized groups Public Rallies Street Plays Uttar Pradesh SMS Campaigns Methods Employed Outbound Calls Press Conferences on the ADR Reports Impact of the Uttar Pradesh Campaign Reached more than 1 crore people Geographical Reach • • • • • • • • • Bundelkhand Lucknow Jhansi Kanpur Agra Noida Ghaziabad Meerut Chitrakoot And 52 other constituencies Bihar Seminars and Workshops Methods Employed Hoardings on Autos, Buses, Railway stations Village Chaupals Songs and Cultural Events Street Plays Outbound Calls Public Meetings SMS Campaigns Youth Mobilization Campaigns Bihar Padyatras Methods Employed Press Conferences on ADR Reports Impact of the Bihar Campaign More than 100 newspaper reports Reached more than 1.70 lakh people T.V. Coverage on channels like Etv. Kashis News, Aryan T.V. News Express, Sadhana News etc. Geographical Reach • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Muzaffarpur Jehanabad Gaya Patna Saran( Chapra ) Darbhanga Saharsa Purnea Bhagalpur Munger Aurangabad Bhojpur(Arah) Begusarai East Champaran Gopalganj Jamui Katihar Khagaria • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Madhubani Nalanda Nawada Rohtas Samastipur Sitamarhi Siwan Vaishali West Champaran Kishanganj Araria Bhabua Banka Buxar Supaul Sekhpura Seohar Lakhisarai Madhepura Maharashtra Press Conferences on ADR Reports ‘Meet your Candidate’ Events Methods Employed Cable TV and Hoardings Collaborations with Grassroot Residents’ Organisations State level Survey of Voters’ issues Outbound Calls SMS Campaigns Video interviews of Candidates Maharashtra Promise and Performance Report Cards of Sitting MPs Methods Employed Impact of the Maharashtra Campaign Reached more than 1 crore people Geographical Reach •Aurangabad •Bandra •Nagpur •Pune •Akola •Chandrapur •Jalgaon •Parbhani •Sholapur •Thane •Latur •MumbaiCity •Buldhana •Dhule •Kolhpur •Nanded •Raigad •Amravati •Nashik •Wardha •Ahmednagar •Beed •Bhandara •Gadchiroli •Jalna •Osmanabad •Ratnagiri •Sangli •Satara •Sindudurg •Yavatmal •Nandurbar •Washim •Gondia •Hingoli Overall Impact Mera Vote Mera Desh Campaign Social Media Impact for the Lok Sabha elections • Facebook Users: 89180 • Twitter Users: 6383 Queries about contesting candidates from voters across India • Upto 35,000 SMS queries a day during the peak Lok Sabha election period • 2334719 people who subscribed to our SMS alerts Unique Visitors to Websites • www.myneta.info - 2,133,740 • www.adrindia.org - 2,133,740 Coverage in Print Media • 500 Newspaper articles Collaborations with Media Channels • IBN7: Mera Vote Meri Sarkaar Campaign • Zee Media: Aapki Vote Aapki Taqat Campaign • NDTV: Website and Mobile Applications Telephone calls from across India requesting information about contesting candidates • Large number of calls requesting information about candidates were received by state co-ordinator offices across the country • Calls not attended at the state co-ordinator office were redirected to the ADR Head office. 1163 redirected calls requesting information about candidates were received at the ADR Head Office from March to June of 2014 Strong Public Opinion on the Need to Decriminalize Politics Satyamev Jayate episode on Decriminalizing Politics (Telecast: 30th March, 2014) Hon’ble PM Narendra Modi’s Maiden Speech at Rajya Sabha The media coverage and strong public discourse about the increasing criminalization of politics led Prime Minister Narendra Modi to raise the issue in his maiden speech at the Rajya Sabha. He stated; “There is an on-going discussion that the people who are elected to the house have a criminal background. Whether there are five, six or seven numbers, a perception has been formed. It is our collective responsibility that we free both our Houses from this taint and a good solution to this is to collectively decide and request the Supreme Court that if there are any Members of Parliament upon whom an FIR is lodged, through the judicial mechanism the cases should be expedited and within a year the situation should become clear. The guilty should go to jail and the innocent should be able to stand before the world taint-free.” –Prime Minister Narendra Modi, 11th June, 2014