Ahead of UP polls, RLD launches augmented reality app to reach voters
Through the app, the RLD wants voters to provide suggestions and feedback, and raise issues that should be addressed in its election manifesto for 2022
Ahead of 2022 assembly election in Uttar Pradesh, the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) has launched an augmented reality (AR) app called ‘app.loksankalp2022.com’ to reach voters.
Party president Jayant Chaudhary hopes to ‘visit’ voters and even allow them to take ‘selfies’ with him through the app.
AR systems incorporate three basic features: a combination of real and virtual worlds, real-time interaction, and accurate 3D registration of virtual and real objects.
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Through the app, the RLD wants voters to provide suggestions and feedback, and raise issues that should be addressed in its election manifesto for 2022.
“We represent farmers but I feel now it’s important to use modern technology to connect grassroots and strengthen the farmer’s voice,” Chaudhary told The Print.
His coordinator Deepak Rathi said the RLD is sending the app link to voters through social media, WhatsApp and bulk SMS.
The party wants to reach at least five lakh voters in the state, especially in western UP, the RLD’s home turf, through the app. Rathi said that by 20 October, around 1 lakh voters had already used the app.
The app will also help the party keep track of its workers, and reward those who work the hardest.
In August, the RLD had launched an AR app for supporters to pay their respects and take a picture with a computer-generated image of the party founder, the late Chaudhary Ajit Singh, who died in May.
In line with the global trend, political parties in India are increasingly relying on technology and social media to connect with their supporters.
The BJP under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has led on this front, using technology to drive the political agenda and attract voters.