Designed by IITians, JD(U)s digital campaigning platform is first of its kind – Hindustan Times

JD(U) is set to launch an exclusive digital platform, JDUlive.com, for canvassing ahead of October-November Bihar assembly elections keeping in mind the limited scope for campaigning on the ground in the view of the coronavirus pandemic outbreak and the detailed guidelines issued by the election commission mindful of the changed circumstances.

The digital platform, which the party insiders claim to be one of its kind for any political outfit in the state and also the country, will be launched with chief minister Nitish Kumars virtual meet, expected next month. Kumar is also JD(U) national president.

We planned this with the help of a group of IITians from Bihar to utilise the lockdown period, as there was a clear indication that campaigning this time wont be the same as before due to the pandemic. JDUlive.com will redefine the mode of communication with the masses in the digital era, said a senior party leader, pleading anonymity.

The platforms current integral on-boarding capacity is one lakh live viewers for a digital /virtual public rally. This can be expanded up to 10 lakh (one million) participants for any given live interaction in the future, said the leader, adding the global lockdown necessitated out-of-the-box solutions for public campaigning.

The platform can easily evolve as a dedicated communication channel to engage not just with party cadres but also the general public. In this context, a Live.tv menu on the portal is to enable any person to share any positive video or news item which, upon approval by the portals administrator, can get posted online. This will provide a single point source of positive news to the media, too.

Platforms like Zoom, Google meet, etc, have gained huge popularity as the preferred modes for organising public meets, but being third party service providers, there are obvious limitations on using them, said party leaders.

It is Janata Dal Uniteds own video conferencing platform which supports both way video communication. Developed entirely by local talents, it qualifies both as a true Make in India and a Make in Bihar product; and a platform with no dependence on any foreign or public platforms like Zoom, Google, etc., said a senior party leader.

Besides hosting live public rallies and /or private conferences, this party portal can be used as an interface with the public and for holding regular meetings with party cadres.

Also Read:BJPs plan for Bihar assembly polls involves careful study of the voters list

On the JDULive.com website, both party functionaries and people can put their views, such as through the Virtual Survekshan (survey) menu designed for Digital Survey, said those handling the digital set up.

AlsoRead:NDA to fight Bihar polls under Nitish Kumars leadership: Nadda

Data on the portal is being updated so it serves as a database of party functionaries down to the booth levels. It will be a storehouse of information, including development works in various spheres, speeches of the national president, yatras of Nitish Kumar, etc, they said.

The right to the platform will only be given to authorised party functionaries from the state and district levels for uploading and managing data and information relating to their respective jurisdictions.

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Designed by IITians, JD(U)s digital campaigning platform is first of its kind - Hindustan Times