Poll aspirants wooing voters with smart cards, free Wi-Fi

Mumbai: With the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation election nearing, corporators hoping for another term and ticket aspirants alike have started resorting to novel and innovative measures to woo voters. While free Wi-Fi is the new norm, selfie points have become a new fad. Apart from this, a measure that is proving attractive for slum dweller is converting their cardboard-based Aadhaar cards into plastic smart cards.

Many have been standing in line for tickets, especially in the BJP and they have even started preparing for the elections. One such BJP leader is Santosh Pandey, who has started distributing smart Aadhaar cards. “I have some 5,000 BJP members in my ward in Worli. What I did is replaced their cardboard cards with the new smart cards, which is made of hard plastic. These people then went home and got more people,  and I managed to reach somewhere close to 15,000 people in my ward which has helped me,” said Mr Pandey.

While Mr Pandey is busy attracting voters with smart cards, Leader of Opposition of BMC and Congress leader Pravin Chheda is inaugurating a selfie point in his area, Ghatkopar. Selfie points seem to be in fashion now, as Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) in Shivaji Park and Shiv Sena in Bandra also started selfie points some time ago. A senior leader from the BJP is trying to provide Wi-Fi in his area and he is also eyeing the seat. “The Wi-Fi won’t be available in homes; it will be only on the main street. So when one activates the Wi-Fi, he will be greeted by my photo and details, and this will get me the votes of the youngsters,” said the leader.