Are you thinking of entering politics? You need to read this and understand the nitty gritty of today's politics to ensure that you WIN and election and not just be another candidate who tried and failed.

1. “Independent
Candidates can Win”
MUMBAI
HOW TO WIN YOUR NEXT ELECTION
The First question that the If any candidate decides
candidate must ask is: “Why to fight an election, then
am I contesting”?
the purpose must be ‘TO
A totally honest answer to WIN’.
this question will be the core Any lesser goal is the
philosophy of the political
easiest path to losing the
campaign.
election; along-with loss
of money, credibility,
Serious contenders enter
the election fray for serious reputation and support of
those who trusted and
reasons - corruption in
Govt. , lack of law & order, depended on their
lack of Industrial prosperity, Candidate.
economic recession, or any
other reason that affects not
only the candidate, but also
the community around the
candidate.
 India is controlled by
Geriatric politicians.
 The average age of
Cabinet ministers is 67.
 Younger politicians are
mostly 2nd / 3rd
generation political
families.
 Disconnect between
Politicians & Voters is
massive 2 Generations.
Trust deficit is the first obstacle to be overcome to ensure that you win. This can
only happen if you communicate with your potential voters from your heart & convey
real beliefs.

Why should the
Voters trust you?

How much do they
know you?

Do they know your
political outlook?

How much have you
shared with them?
Building blocks of a successful campaignIntegrated Campaign:
Using technology, core staff, volunteers and supporters in correct combinations to ensure a ‘Clear &
Concise’ political message
to voters.
Foot Soldiers and Mouse
clicks:
Campaign staff have to be
visible on-the-ground - having street corner meetings
with voters, distributing
brochures, calling voters
or sending personal sms,
hosting house meeting,
and ensuring candidate
visibility.
All this is best organized
through the social media
using FB, Twitter, Pintrest, Quora, Google
Hangout, etc.

2. Page 2
“Independent Candidates can Win”
MUMBAI
New Media drives Old style media.
With the astounding
growth of New Media
(Blogs, Forums, User made
videos) that are popular
amongst those who have
their own view points
(mostly against the Govt.
corruption and apathy) the
established media
(Newspapers & TV
channels) have also
For your politics to
stand out and succeed,
you have to put a
primary focus on the
social media space, go
in big (halfway will not
do), and do it better
than most, right from
the start .
“discovered” blogs and are
now offering “user– generated” content that is almost
identical to paid– news type
stories. This is actually
multiplying the power of
social media, creating a new
model of media management in politics.
messages are now on
mobile phones; with a high
growth in number of users.
With easy access to Facebook, Twitter, You-Tube
and similar sites; internet is
now a popular platform for
political discourse and
debates.
Online democracy is now
Platforms that deliver and affecting and reflecting real
exchange audio– visual
democracy. This merging creates trends, that affect Voters
and influence them.
Economies of Campaign Management.
The one single rule for
‘voter mobilization’:
Personal appeals
always work best.
produce one vote for every
18 people contacted.
The next best way is for
Having your campaign
real humans to phone call
volunteers visiting voter, and chat with your potential
door-to-door; is still the voters. This tactic produces
best way to get Voters to one voter for every 45 calls
mobilize in your favor.
made.
On a average this will
Flyers distributed via news-
The New Media Outreach
papers or by post will
yield one voter for every
400 flyers.
Where ever human elements are needed to
contact the voter, the cost
is usually between
Rs: 1500 to Rs 5000 per
hour. On an average the
cost of each vote will be
Rs: 2200 per vote. (Cost,
not bribe).
By using new (social) media, the Candidates can expand their outreach globally.
This has three advantages—the first being that you are connecting to people across
the world without any boundaries, and second, this out-reach helps generate discussions and view-points from political observers who have no stake in your election
results. The third most important facet is that social media outreach is extremely
cheap and has a fixed cost for most basic services. The disadvantage is that social
media is non-personal and reduces candidates human interaction with the voters to
minimum.

3. “Independent Candidates can Win”
MUMBAI
Page 3
Political Focus of a Successful Campaign
Involve the Voters: The voters have to be convinced
that the election is about ‘everybody’- and that they
stand to gain as much as the candidate when he wins.
Communicate, don’t lecture: Candidates must have
a conversation with Voters, not a one-way broadcast
of ideas.
Motivate the grass-root campaigners: Candidate’s
supporters have to be motivated to work hard. It is
necessary to hand over the grass-root campaign to
them - motivating them to take a stake in the success
of the campaign. Their success contributes to the Win.
Dramatize Ideas: It is necessary for the Candidate to
enlarge idea and perception in a manner that resonates
with voters. Use one focal point that covers all ideas
that you want to convey to the Voters.
Challenge the competition: Voters seek Champions.
You have to give Voters a reason to support you. Your
objectives must be grand, yet do-able.
Internet is not the real world: You have to be razor
sharp in ground operations. The social media / internet
is great for organization of meetings and communicating with the Voters. But, actual votes are earned only
by traditional ways; door-to-door campaign, volunteers
holding street corner meetings, candidates walking the
ground and communicating face-to-face.
Technology Strategy of a campaign
The candidate’s web-site and Twitter has to be the heart of the entire strategy.
Your campaign has to be a grass-roots upwards process. There has to be perfect synergy between technology & grass-root organization; the aim being the empowerment
of your grass-root leaders to run parts of the campaign independently. On-line actions have to be tied-up to the on-the-ground activities. The internet is just a vehicle
to empower the campaign and it’s people; raising funds, attracting volunteers and
workers, allowing people to interact inside the campaign domain. This must lead to
self-organized groups who will push the campaign on a personal basis through roadside meetings, community discussions, area get-togethers, and giving opportunity for
emergence of local leaders that support the candidate, heart and soul.
The Brotherhood of Voters
Election is War; and just like any war, people gather behind their leaders to fight for
what they believe in. Established party candidates will use false information, wrong
information and total lies to bring down their opponents. The social media can be
used aggressively to counter false claims and lies almost immediately. But, for that the
candidate has to empower his voter base. A bond has to be built between the voters
and the candidate. Website, Face-book ,Twitter and You-Tube are today’s bonds.
With these the Candidate can start a two way communication with voters; listening
and responding on an almost instant basis, on any issue that is being debated. Empowered voter will be a dedicated supporters; if the candidate builds a brotherhood.
Over the last 65 years,
Politics has moved
from being Party
centric to Voter centric.
Today, it’s what the
Voter wants is more
important, political
parties can either
cater to the Voters
wishes or perish.

4. VOTER SENA
sanjaymatkar@gmail.com
12 Crucial Questions that Candidates need to Ask
Themselves:
1. What is this campaign about? - (Mission and Vision)
2. What is the social and political environment during this campaign?
3. What are the main goals of your campaign?
The Capacity & Efficiency of your Election
Campaign will depend on:
1. Constant communication with the Voters..
2. Use of Technology in your campaign.
3. Organizational Structure of your campaign.
4. Integration of Social Media with on –the-
ground campaign
5. Correct use of campaign funds to get
maximum results within the EC laws.
6. Winning the Elections through Strategy.
4. What is the competition? (Rival candidates / rival parties)
5. What is the political strategy that you will use to stand out?
6. What are the singular (Measurable) goals of your campaign?
7. What are the available dead-lines to accomplish these goals?
8. How is your campaign force organized?
9. What are your current activities?
10. What results are you expecting for each activity?
11. What are the phases of the process for each activity? (Time lines)
12. What are the personal skills & experience of your campaign staff?
Using the Web and other technologies to
Succeed  Technology is now a critical tool in politics. 78% of the current
voters are in the 18-34 age group.
 Almost 100% voters in Urban areas & 67% in rural areas use
mobile phones. In urban areas, 60% voters use smart phones and
are connected to Face-book, Twitter and You-tube.
 Social media and E-technology; if used correctly, can overwhelm
the opposition and ensure a win.
 While individualism is growing; advances in technology mean that
voters share choices & opinions with a wider audience and social
media will definitely influence voter choices.
 Technology is one tool that organizes & inspires at grass-root
levels, faster than any other known method. Any candidate who takes
advantage of this trend and genuinely connects with the Voters will
enjoy historic win in the next election.
 Tapping the power of the Individual (You) gives great rewards.
When candidate empowers the Voter and communicates on a One-to
-one basis; the basis of electoral success is established immediately.
 Internet can be your Campaign manager - helping you
communicate with Voter, organize grass-root events, involve voters
with your idea on a constant basis, assist in fund-raising, and ensure a
huge voter turn-out in your favor on voting day.
TECHNOLOGY SUCCEEDS.