Electioneering through SMS adds new feature to polls campaign in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD, Feb 14 : Taking maximum benefit from the accurate access and availability opportunity on mobile phones, election candidates and their supporters in Pakistan have started virtual electioneering campaign through short text messages (SMS) nowadays.

                Pakistan is going to mark general polls on February 18 and these elections are being considered to be historical event of the country’s politics as it is passing through defining circumstances. Even most analysts and general public, especially the political workers forecast that the elections would decide for fate and future of  Pakistan.

      More than 77 million mobile phone users across the country daily receive dozens of motivating and mobilization short text messages from their relatives and friends, affiliated with various political parties, to vote in favour of the particular parties and candidates.

      These SMS comprise of slogans of various political parties, their precise election manifestoes and symbols. Pakistan Muslim League's symbol

cycle, Pakistan Peoples Party's arrow, PML‑N's tiger and Mutahida Majlis Amal's book are widely circulated election symbols in the Multimedia Messages (MMS), it was observed.

      Meanwhile, Mutahida Quami Movement's kite along with the party's slogans has though circulation all over the country but its flight through telecommunication signals can be witnessed more in Karachi in comparison to other parts of the country.

      Similarly, election symbol of Awami National Party's Lantern is one of the widely circulated part of SMS and MMS in NWFP including Peshawer valley as the party's major vote bank concentrates there, it was learnt.

      The PPP supporters are considered to be leading the race of SMS campaign  and they are mostly sending messages to seek sympathy vote in wake of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto's assassination. The PPP workers also insert poems and verses to pay tribute to their slain leader beside appealing for vote, a mobile phone user said.  

      According to survey election candidates in some of the areas especially urban centers are formally conducting the campaign through SMS and they have obtained cell numbers of the voters residing within their constituencies.

      "The candidates have assigned their campaign workers responsibilities to send SMS to each resident of the constituency on regular basis till February 18," a political worker said.

                "Well, SMS is the best source to transmit the electioneering message to the people in every corners of city especially the businessmen and employees who are difficult to be accessed due to their professional commitments," an election candidate from Rawalpindi near Islamabad remarked.

      He said that supporters of various parties are voluntarily engaged in the so‑called SMS campaign and are motivating their acquaintance in favour of particular candidates.

      Rehan Khan, a university student and resident of G‑8/1 Islamabad, endorsed the candidate's views saying that," I have been forwarding the SMSz to my friends and fellow students in favour of my favorite political party voluntarily."

      "I have activated a package of 1000 SMSz and would use most of them for virtual electioneering campaign," he added.

     

Tags: Pakistan-Elections