Satluj Club polls: SMSs rankle members

LUDHIANA: The final list for Satluj Club elections is yet to be announced but campaigning has already started. Members say they have received around 537 text messages in the past five to six days. Candidates feel circulating text messages is the ideal way to campaign but club members find it intrusive, particularly when their phone beeps at odd hours.
“It is exasperating! My phone rings every five minutes. There are almost 10 messages for a single member. It is a pain. I even get calls at night from supporters’ of candidates. I don’t have patience anymore”, said Sanjeev Gupta, a club member from Civil Lines.
Unlike parliamentary elections, the vote bank in Satluj Club is elite and it is not easy to woo them. As usual hushed parties are being held, but online campaigning is a new trend. “This is the first time we are witnessing such madness. Candidates have to understand we won’t be influenced by these messages. In fact there’s a fair chance of it being counterproductive”, said a member who did not wish to be named.
Another club member, Nishant Jairath, a businessman, expressed his annoyance with a status message on Facebook. “My number is on the DND database. I am receiving these bulk messages, which makes it clear that the club directory has been leaked. I have filed a complaint to my network provider and will make sure it ends”.