Kanpur:
Narendra Modi's party just took social networking offline and added a tested marketing gimmick for its pre-poll youth recruitment drive. The BJP is offering a sit-down dinner with its star draw to those members of the party who enroll a record number of new young members.
The target is an ambitious one crore new members by the end of September; 500 people to enrol maximum members will be at that table with the Gujarat Chief Minister. The new members must be between of 18 to 35 years of age.
There is more incentive. Twenty new young members, who have the best ideas for an outreach on social media, will also win a chance to meet Mr Modi. The new members must be between of 18 to 35 years of age.
"All of this is part of a new drive by the youth BJP which has launched a nationwide recruitment drive" said Chetan Bragta, the national social media coordinator of the BJP's youth wing.
Such is the clamour to meet Mr Modi, claims Sourabh Khatri, who along with Mr Bragta manages social media for the BJP's youth wing, that "We have had 1.5 lakh enrolments just yesterday, the first day of the campaign."
The Gujarat Chief Minister has recently been appointed the BJP's election campaign chief, but his many fans in his party expect that promotion to be a mere stepping stone on the way to his being picked as the candidate for Prime Minister for the 2014 general elections.
His political rivals say they are unimpressed by all the hype. "The indian electorate is very smart...Modi will not win," said Parliamentary affairs minister Kamalnath, who has been responsible for bringing many smart, corporate-style election processes in the Congress.