In a first anywhere in the world, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in Gujarat on Friday announced that it would launch its campaign for the State Assembly polls using three-dimensional (3-D) audio-visual technology on November 18.
The high-tech campaign will show Chief Minister Narendra Modi addressing public meetings across the State, even though he will not be physically present.
A special type of stage will be erected and a 3-D image of the Chief Minister will be projected onto it through this technology in such a way that the people, without using special glasses to view 3-D images, will feel as if Modi himself was speaking before them in person.
Launching this technology, Mr Modi will address people in Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara and Rajkot simultaneously on Sunday. It will also be telecast live. The technology is expected to herald a new era in election campaigning.
BJP Vice President Parshottam Rupala and Gujarat BJP President R. C. Faldu claimed that it would be the first time in the world that a political leader is using such technology in an election campaign.
Other cities, towns and constituencies will also be covered subsequently in a phased manner.
This was announced at a BJP-hosted get-together for journalists here to mark the Gujarati New Year that began on November 14. An annual feature, the event was organised this time by the BJP at a hotel here, instead of the Chief Minister hosting it in Gandhinagar at his official residence. “This has been done due to the ongoing Code of Conduct during the Assembly elections,” a Modi confidante told newspersons, “But I invite you all at the CM’s residence in Gandhinagar to celebrate the New Year, again, on December 25, the birthday of Atal Behari Vajpayee.”
Gujarat is scheduled to go to Vidhan Sabha polls on December 13 and 17. The Assembly poll results will be announced on December 20, along with those of Himachal Pradesh, also a BJP-ruled State.
Until now, due to the festival season, electioneering has been low-key and almost came to a halt in the week leading to Diwali on November 13. This was seen as the lull before the coming storm when a high-pitch, no-holds-barred election campaign is expected to begin on November 19.