In cities, swing voters choose via apps, social networking

Chennai: From apps that claim to help people make informed decisions, to drawing room conversations: A day ahead of the polls, it wasn't mudslinging and political promises that people recalled to help them choose who to vote for but their smartphones and peer groups.
Some folks downloaded the apps rolled out by political parties to check their manifestos; others turned to independent apps and websites like MyNeta that provide criminal and financial background information on contesting candidates.Unlike voters in the districts, where loyalty to a party trumps merit, most youngsters in the city engaged in discussions on WhatsApp and Facebook to make a choice.
“When the campaigning started a month ago, I had already made up my mind on who to vote for. I'm not so sure anymore after seeing the discussions on social platforms,“ says graphic designer S Ganesan, who lives in Shanthi Colony , Anna Nagar. “I may vote for another party .“
And he's not the only one.Although a majority of voters may have decided on who to vote for much before the monthlong campaigning by political parties, discussions on Facebook and WhatsApp groups may have played a major role among the swing voters ready to veer off to another party in the last minute.
“It's hard to choose, considering there hasn't been a single big issue that parties have battled over,“ says 20-yearold visual communication student K Venkat, who created a WhatsApp group with his batchmates a week back to hold discussions about who to vote for. Corruption is so commonplace that it is not even in the picture. Opinion on the way the current government handled the floods is also mixed.“
He says his group was abuzz on Sunday .“After a lot of discussion, I think most of us have finally decided. Very few stuck to original choices,“ he says.
International leadership branding expert Donn Kabiraj says, unlike popular perception, it is not campaigning that sways voters in the city, especially the younger crowd.
“A majority of voters made their decisions much ahead of campaigning,“ he says. “If they change allegiance now, it isn't because of the effectiveness of campaigning as much as influence of social media.“
He says youngsters are much better informed now.“They don't carry ideological baggage like people did in the past,“ Kabiraj says.“Neither do they believe in political promises. They are swayed more by how effective their peers' arguments are.“
Political analyst Gnani disagrees. “Door-to-door campaigning plays a major role in influencing the undecided voter,“ he says.“Visibility matters.“
“Parties use TV channels to circumvent the ban on campaign material on the eve of poll day,“ Gnani says. “Jaya TV played MGR-Jayalalithaa films to influence the viewers, while Sun TV showed Karunandhi-penned films espousing the Dravidian cause. Heads of the family play a major role in decision making but, yes, discussions with friends and social media play a big role in urban areas.“