7/3/13 Article Window epaper.timesofindia/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=TOINEW&BaseHref=CAP/2013/07/03&PageLabel=1&EntityId=… 1/2 Dotcom poster boys set to steer Modi’s 2014 polls internet drive Shrabonti Bagchi & Boby Kurian Bangalore: Narendra Modi has enlisted India’s original dotcom poster boy Rajesh Jain — a staunch BJP supporter — and B G Mahesh to drive his social media campaign in the run-up to next year’s general elections. Jain, who famously sold IndiaWorld to Sify for Rs 499 crore triggering a dotcom rush in the late Nineties, and Mahesh, who founded IndiaInfo and OneIndia, are putting together a 100-member content and technology team in Bangalore to drive Modi’s internet campaign. “Jain has committed his life to the BJP. He has made all the money he wanted to, and he wants to use it to get this party to power,” says a veteran Bangalore-based writer and communications consultant, who has worked with Jain in the past. Jain’s popular blog makes no bones about his support for the party and for Modi. A post from early 2012 says: “It has to be a ‘275 election’, which means one of the national parties (Congress or the BJP) needs to get majority on its own. The approach one has to take to get to 275 is very different from trying to get to 160-175 seats… At a basic level, all parties are probably similar, even as ideologies and approaches differ. What will change the discourse is the leadership the parties put on offer. In this context, I want to see how I can help the BJP get to 275.” IT CZARS TURN NAMO BACKERS Rajesh Jain | Web industry pioneer, is a well-known BJP backer B G Mahesh | Founded OneIndia and IndiaInfo Jain sold IndiaWorld to Sify for 499 crore, sparking a dotcom rush in the 90s Jain & Mahesh leading 100-member tech & content team in B’lore to boost Modi’s chances in the elections ‘140m net users form Modi’s constituency’ Bangalore: In 2010, Rajesh Jain’s Netcore acquired BG Mahesh’s Greynium Information Technologies, the owner of Indian language portals OneIndia, and classifieds business click.in and the two are using their cumulative internet and business acumen to push Narendra Modi to power. “Jain is extremely internet savvy, and if he’s driving his social media campaign, it would not surprise me at all. Rajesh has been thinking this way since 2006, if not earlier,” communications consultant said. The 2014 Lok Sabha elections will not be the first in India’s history to be fought in the era of social media, but it will certainly be the first nationallevel polls to be conducted since social media came of age. Political analysts say India’s more than 140 million internet users make up Modi’s core constituency. And no matter which side of the fence you’re on, there’s no getting away from the fact that Modi’s social media cache is higher than anybody else’s in the land — certainly higher than the Congress’s. Jain and Mahesh are widely reported to have been on a recruitment drive to seed Modi’s social media campaign with relevant content. “I got a call from Mahesh a month ago asking if I want to join Modi’s social media campaign,” said a 7/3/13 Article Window epaper.timesofindia/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=TOINEW&BaseHref=CAP/2013/07/03&PageLabel=1&EntityId=… 2/2 Mahesh a month ago asking if I want to join Modi’s social media campaign,” said a 32-year-old media consultant in Bangalore, who didn’t wish to be named. Jain declined to comment on the story, while Mahesh could not be reached despite repeated efforts. read the article and share your views on timesofindia
Posted on: Wed, 03 Jul 2013 12:53:56 +0000
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