The campaign for the general election has gathered steam and the first phase is slated to begin next week. Direct campaigning is just picking up to reach the 700-million-plus voters, although much indirect campaigning has already happened—and will continue to happen. But what is different in the campaign trail this time is the greater presence of the cyberspace medium. The last general election saw the use of information communication technology (ICT) in campaigning for the first time; the most prominent medium used was SMS and the not-so-active website. At that time, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the dominant party in the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), took the lead in this. However, the response was not very encouraging and came up for criticism from party leaders after its defeat.
