Bangalore, April 6, 2013, DHNS:
Paragliders from Meghalaya, who were supposed to fly over Bangalore City on Saturday as part of the Election Commission’s (EC) attempt to woo voters, will now take to the air on Sunday morning.
Nikoloi Singh, president of the Meghalaya Paragliders Association, explained that plans were changed because of bad weather conditions predicted for Saturday. “Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) advised us not to fly on Saturday due to the possibility of showers and thunderstorms,” Singh said.
The gliders will carry messages aimed at increasing voter participation in the upcoming elections. According to Singh, a test run was conducted at Jakkur Aerodrome in the presence of Chief Election Commissioner Anil Kumar Jha and City Police Commissioner Raghavendra H Auradkar. The glider made several circuits of the field with a large election banner reading: ‘Enrol to Vote. Last Date 7th April, 2013’.
Singh explained that the advantage of using paragliders to push electoral message has to do with the novelty of the medium and because of its ability to drive home the message. “Every day, you see a number of banners and hoardings on the streets, but there are so many of them that none stick to your brain. But when you fly over somebody’s head with a banner measuring 20 by 20, it stays for at least a week in your memory. It definitely has more of an impact than a roadside banner,” he explained.
The State Election Commission taking the help of Meghalaya Paragliders Association is the first instance of Karnataka having adopted such a measure. “After the City, the paragliders will fly over Ramanagara and will subsequently proceed to all 30 districts in the State for over a month as part of this unique awareness campaign,” Jha said.
Singh added that the Association will be offering its services during the elections in Chattisgarh, Rajasthan, Delhi and Madhya Pradesh, and probably in Kerala as well in December.
