The Internet for Engagement with The Electorate : The Indian Scenario

India was among the first countries in Asia to enter cyberspace in the mid-1990s. Politicians realised the importance of the Net to reach out to voters as it allows communication in real time and affordably. The experience of political parties in USA, UK, Ecuador, Korea and other countries have shown how the interactive capabilities of the Internet can be used effectively in campaigns. This paper reports on such a study on e-engagement in the western states of Maharashtra and Gujarat during the Parliamentary Elections April 2009. It is a part of a broader study on the use of the Internet for campaigning in the elections monitored during the 2009 poll. The researcher has taken into account the following aspects about the e- engagement of people: use of interactive functions on their websites, response from the people, most used interactive tools, utility to solve the election-related problems of the voters and promptness to respond to the emails etc. The researcher has monitored the updates of the websites of political parties of eight national and state parties after the Election Commission of India announced the poll schedule in April. The data collection continued till 18th May, when the election results were announced. The study was to ascertain if the Indian politicians try to engage people during campaigning. Initial data indicated that only few politicians cared about the e-engagement. This study would establish if the Internet campaigning was only one way process, from sender to receiver.