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Poll 2.0: Playing it out successfully on gadgets

Giving a twist to the ongoing poll fight, mobile phone games having prominent leaders as main characters are in great demand.

Published on: Jan 21, 2017, 13:14:27 IST
Hindustan Times | By , ALLAHABAD
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Even as politicians are sweating it out on ground zero to woo people, the 4G-era voters are ‘playing’ with them on their mobile and laptop screens, virtually. The hordes of mobile phone games and app on desi politics are helping the gaming enthusiasts in fighting the ballot battle on their own.

Mobile game apps on Google Play Store.
Mobile game apps on Google Play Store.

Giving a gaming twist to the ongoing poll fight, these political games having prominent leaders as main characters are in great demand. These include Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and BSP chief Mayawati.

“While some are helping AAP to capture Red Fort, others are standing with PM Modi in his fight to end Congress rule in all states. There are a few who are aiding Congress upset the BJP poll bandwagon,” says Harshit Jain, a young mobile geek.

From ‘Modi Run’, an action game where PM Modi runs through all states and wins the elections, to many others like ‘Modi Cricket T20’, ‘Election fever’, ‘War of the Elections’, ‘Political Arkanoid’, ‘Modi Yuddh 2017’ and ‘Modi Rahul Kejriwal’, the gamers are opting for a wide range of mobile phone games of varied themes based on Indian politics.

Be it Apple, Google or Microsoft’s official app stores, a number of developers seem to have come up with spin-offs of popular gaming titles with a distinct desi political touch. As the voting days draw closer, the number of downloads of these games promising to “entertain as well as inform” are rising steadily.

“The sheer enthusiasm that the elections generate all over the country leads to a number of games being launched to attract players of all age groups. These fun-based games are for relaxation and create political awareness,” shares Rajneesh Srivastava, an associate professor of Allahabad University’s department of electronics and communication.

He said while the launch of new games picked up in the last three months of 2016 in anticipation of the assembly polls in different states, including UP, new versions of old games were also launched to attract gamers.

  • K Sandeep Kumar
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    K Sandeep Kumar

    K. Sandeep Kumar is Senior Assistant Editor and Bureau Head of Hindustan Times in Prayagraj, where he leads the newspaper's editorial coverage across the region. With more than 25 years of experience in journalism, he has built a reputation for credible, in-depth and impact-driven reporting on Uttar Pradesh's governance, politics, education, agriculture, science and technology, defence, infrastructure and development. Over the course of his career, Sandeep has consistently broken and tracked stories that have shaped public discourse, with a particular focus on policy, public institutions and issues that directly affect people's lives. His reporting combines rigorous fieldwork with data-backed analysis, making complex subjects accessible to a wide readership. He has also written extensively on human-interest stories that spotlight resilience, innovation and social change across urban and rural Uttar Pradesh. As Prayagraj Bureau Head, he mentors reporters, drives editorial planning and ensures comprehensive coverage of one of India's most politically and culturally significant regions. His work is marked by accuracy, balance and context, reflecting a commitment to public-interest journalism and high editorial standards. Through his reporting, Sandeep continues to chronicle the evolving social, economic and political landscape of Uttar Pradesh while delivering insightful and reliable journalism for Hindustan Times readers.Read More