How this AR-driven project helped Naveen Patnaik win Odisha Assembly polls

Patnaik visited over a million homes and got his photo taken with five million residents.

By ET Bureau | Jun 27, 2019, 12.05 PM IST

On the left is Bhairav Shankar, and on the right is Naveen Patnaik.

An indigenous Augmented Reality project developed by Hyderabad-based innovator Avantari helped Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik win the Assembly polls.

On January 13, 2019, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) set in motion a plan that had never been tried before, anywhere in the world. It announced Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik would visit over a million homes and get his photo taken with five million residents.

To help accomplish this ‘Digital Yatra’ would be some cutting edge technology. Amar Patnaik, head of the BJD’s IT Cell and himself a Harvard graduate, conceived this out-of-the-box idea. Patnaik, who was recently nominated for the Rajya Sabha from Odisha, was partnered by Avantari, a Hyderabad-based innovator that is infusing technology into political campaigns.

AmarP — Amar Paatnaik is a Harvard graduate who conceived this out-of-the-box idea.

In early 2017, Avantari — headed by Bhairav Shankar, a young postgraduate from Oxford — combined Augmented Reality with 3D holography technology, to become the first entity in the world to create lifesized Augmented Reality. The company’s founders also implemented a holographic campaign for then Gujarat CM Narendra Modi in December 2012, and has since evolved the technology for smartphones. In addition, they also fine-tuned the technology for Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis, while also worki ng on elections in Karnataka and Malaysia in 2018.

Selfies — Families pose with copies of their selfies.

Within two weeks of the BJD’s announcement, Avantari hit the ground running. They built an Augmented Reality hologram of the Chief Minister inside a smartphone. They then trained and managed 1,000 party workers, giving each of them a mobile phone and portable printer. Twelve lakh households in Mayurbhanj, Sundergarh, Bolangir and Kalahandi were identified, and four districts where anti-incumbency appeared to be dominant.

An elaborate project
The project, titled ‘Mo Naveen Mo Ghare’ (My Naveen in my home), involved workers visiting the households with the AR hologram of the CM on their phones. The CM’s hologram would then greet the voter warmly and they would be invited to take a picture with him. An accompanying technician would then click an instant picture and hand over an autographed printout of the picture. Five million voters had quietly been charmed, even before the first votes were cast.

Medianet1 — An Avantari technician takes a photo of a voter with the AR hologram.

Many people framed their pictures and displayed it prominently. One elderly lady from Baripada called it an heirloom she would pass on to her future generations. “We think this was the most successful AR campaign in the world till date,” said Bhairav Shankar, MD of Avantari.

But the more important question is: How did this impact poll results?

Odisha was in the throes of a BJP wave, that was sweeping across the North and East India. All four parliamentary seats in those districts went to the saffron party. However, voters still brought BJD back to power in the Assembly. In the 30 Assembly seats that saw simultaneous polling, BJD won 14 while the BJP could only claim 11. Voters, it was evident, were supporting Modi at the Centre but weren’t willing to let go of their beloved CM in the state.

Augmented Reality felt like a technology meant for the elite. Avantari and BJD showed it can influence even those who have no cell phone.

LS Polls Done, These TV Shows Promise To Provide More Political Drama

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By Anika Ghei

The recently-concluded Lok Sabha Elections provided enough drama to last for several seasons of a show. From family jibes to temple runs, tears to insults, the Indian political season had it all. However, now with the numbers out and winners declared, the focus has moved (at least temporarily) to introspecting the reason for losses, and working on the path ahead for the winners.

But if you still need your regular dose of power fights and politics, there's always a bunch of shows - that even with (and despite) the extra drama are often a reflection of society - to turn to.

So we've rounded-up a list of binge-worthy shows that promise to make up for the void that the elections left. While they may not give you reason to discuss BJP and Congress by the water-cooler at work, these series will give you enough fodder to indulge in political engagement - while even keeping you up-to-date with all that is controversial, relevant and endearing about politics.