Advertisment

E-campaign Makes an Entry

author-image
DQI Bureau
New Update

Elections in the US have always been a hotly contested

affair, closely and keenly watched by political pundits and the electorate

alike. The campaigns often reach their zenith with the candidates pitted against

each other in verbal duels on TV–the strength and effectiveness of this mass

medium is at full play then.

Advertisment

Ravi Singh, who contested the polls for Illinois’ state

representative, thought ahead. He used the Internet to campaign for his

election, becoming the first one to do so. "I was focused only on politics.

It was my brother, Simer’s idea to use the Internet for communicating with the

voters," says Singh.

That election ended his brush with politics, but only to give

rise to a more lasting affair–with the Internet. His humble e-mail campaign

idea soon transformed into an election mall that would campaign for George Bush

Jr in the presidential elections in 2000. In 1999, the two brothers received

angel funding for the development and creation of Electionmall.com, a vortal for

election candidates and voters. Chiranjiv Kathuria, an investor in the Mir Space

Station and founder of two ISPs in



Europe and Japan, made the investment. The vortal was launched with eight unique
sites providing voters and candidates with the ability to use various tools and

services for "eCampaigning".

Each site is globally patented and trademarked, focused on

meeting the demand for campaigning over the Web.

Advertisment

Electionmall has already won a contract from the Republican

National Party to campaign for George Bush Jr. "The nice thing about it is

that though we launched in July, we will be profitable by the end of these

elections," says Singh.

Money-making model

The e-contest for Bush Jr has not only brought Electionmall

into the limelight but has also given it a promise of profitability, a question

that bogs down most dot-coms these days. The site works on a model that aims to

make money not just for the proprietor, but also helps raise funds for the

candidate. "You could have the greatest idea in the world but if the

revenue model isn’t in place, it will be of no use," asserts Singh.

Advertisment

Electionmall fulfils a two-fold objective. It helps

politicians generate the money and the votes while simultaneously allowing

citizens to take part in the political process. Anyone, be it a student body

president, a citizen or even the president of the US, will be able to

participate in the campaign via Electionmall, claims Singh. And how do they make

money? "We charge a transaction fee for every e-mail we send out and

collect," explains Singh. "It is a result-oriented solution. If you

don’t get e-mails you don’t pay us and if we are able to help you raise

money, we take our commission."

Striving to be a one-stop shop for all kinds of election

services, Electionmall has launched a family of eight sites, each catering to a

separate need. Singh describes it as a hub for people in politics and also those

inclined to learn and participate in the complex world of politics. Related

portals work along with Electionmall to provide political information,

e-campaigning solutions and services, all in one place. The portal contains

news, online chat, search in categories and an events calendar, among other

features. Individuals can offer support for candidates of their choice through

ePrecinctCaptain, a platform for volunteering at Electionmall. Electionmall has

an objective: to find solutions for the campaign manager, politician, political

novice or even the apolitical, and to gather information on issues, candidates,

vendors and real-time developments in politics.

Scope in India

Advertisment

Electionmall was one of the first projects developed by

Wearethesolution.com, the parent company, that endeavors to develop more such

profitable solutions for dot-coms, especially the little guys. Singh says,

"Many of the smaller entrepreneurs cannot afford internal IT services like

Web design and development. Here, we can act as a resource base and provide

24-hour maintenance to their sites."

Singh is also keen to extend his operations to India and has

explored the market during a trip to the country. "Here in India, I see

there are some really great ideas but the infrastructure, development and

marketing haven’t really caught up," he says. About the scope of

Electionmall in India, Singh feels, "We may not be able to do fundraising

here but it can be used for polling, election results and data collection.

E-voting and e-filing are already happening here. That’s a step in the right

direction."

According to him, India offers a huge market, of a billion

people, and the advantage of being the first mover. "Just like Sabeer

Bhatia did with Hotmail, Electionmall can position itself to define paradigms in

the political arena," he says.

The site may have won a deal in the US political circles, but

the Indian market would surely need a different treatment. It is not just the

small size of the Net-savvy public but also our politicians’ attitudes that

need to be tackled. A key issue here is: how many of the Indian politicians will

be willing to shell out those ‘extra bucks’ to communicate with the voters

through e-mails.

SHWETA VERMA



in New Delhi

Advertisment